Province and Sea to Sky governments sign agreement to keep planning a corridor bus
A memorandum of understanding commits the province and the Sea to Sky Regional Transit Committee to work on governance, funding and service models for a bus linking Líl̓wat Nation to Metro Vancouver. It does not launch a service.
The Sea to Sky Regional Transit Committee and the Province of British Columbia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to keep planning an interregional transit service on Highway 99, the District of Squamish and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) announced on September 22.
The proposed service would run from Líl̓wat Nation, near Pemberton, to Metro Vancouver. The MOU covers planning work only: governance, funding and service models. No route, schedule, fare or start date has been announced, and there is still no public bus between Squamish and Metro Vancouver.
Who is at the table
The committee formed in 2019 and has six members: Líl̓wat Nation, the Village of Pemberton, the SLRD, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the District of Squamish and the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), according to the District of Squamish release.
The release says the partners have worked with the province for more than a decade on the idea. It traces back to BC Transit’s 2015 Sea to Sky Transit Future Plan and a 2017 regional transit study that looked at short- and medium-term options for an interregional bus.
What the agreement says
According to the release, the MOU recognizes a shared interest in connecting corridor communities, meeting commuter demand, reducing congestion, and giving people fair access to goods and services. It also lists provincial guiding principles: regional decision-making, integration between transportation modes, partnership funding, coordination between the private and public sectors, and equity of access.
SLRD board chair Jen Ford, speaking for the committee, said in the release that “reliable and accessible regional transit is essential for connecting people with employment, education, healthcare, recreation, and services throughout our region.”
What’s next
The release gives no timeline. The SLRD keeps a project page for the proposed service, which is the place to watch for the next step. In the meantime, the local BC Transit systems in Squamish, Whistler and the Pemberton Valley still run separately. The Pemberton Valley system’s Route 99 Commuter is the one scheduled public bus that links two corridor towns, Pemberton and Whistler.
Sources
- District of Squamish: MOU signed; committee members; history; principles; Ford quote
- Squamish-Lillooet Regional District: Same release, Sept. 22, 2026
- Squamish-Lillooet Regional District: Project page
- Village of Pemberton: Route 99 Commuter: Pemberton–Whistler
