Today we’ll be starting a new two-part series on public transit in Nanaimo. In part one, we’ll be looking at what new plans BC Transit and the Regional District of Nanaimo are working on to provide better transit for residents. In part two airing Friday, we’ll take a closer look at how students at Vancouver Island University are commuting to campus.

New changes for the BC Transit customers will be coming this fall for riders in the Regional District of Nanaimo, AKA the RDN, and around the province. Meet Umo, BC Transit’s new payment system that will, as they describe: “allow users to select the best payment method for your lifestyle and travel habits.”

The new feature will have riders choosing from either downloading the Umo app to load money onto their digital pass or picking up a reloadable card for free from a BC Transit vendor. This new method is very similar to the Compass Card, Translink’s payment system in Metro Vancouver.

The Umo machines are already set up on RDN buses, but there is currently no set date for when the Umo service will start. With Umo launching soon, I spoke with Ryan Dennis from BC Transit about Umo to clear up any questions some riders might have.

While we talk public transit in Nanaimo, I check in with transit user Silvi Joseph over Zoom. We talk about how public transit works for her as her main form of commuting in Nanaimo.

Then I speak with the RDN’s Senior Manager of Transportation Services, Darren Marshell, about what they are doing to make public transit better for riders in our region.

Find Show Notes and Transcripts here.

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Guests:

Ryan Dennis — BC Transit

Silvi Joseph — Public Transit User

Darren Marshall — RDN Senior Manager, Transportation Services