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Should Squamish help pay for a bus to Vancouver and Whistler?

The background, so you can decide for yourself. Facts checked October 26, 2026.

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Squamish has local buses, but no public bus to Vancouver or Whistler. Private coach companies have run the route. A public service along Highway 99 was first proposed in the 2015 Sea to Sky Transit Future Plan and studied again in 2017.

The 2017 study's first phase called for eight buses and six weekday round trips between Vancouver and Whistler, costing about $3.3 million a year. Local governments together would have paid about $1.9 million and the Province about $1.4 million. Those are 2017 estimates and would be higher today.

The idea has stalled over who runs it and who pays. A regional transit commission and a small local fuel tax were proposed but have not moved forward. In September 2026 the Sea to Sky Regional Transit Committee, which includes the District of Squamish, signed a memorandum with the Province to keep planning governance, funding and service. No cost share for Squamish has been set as of October 2026.

Key facts

First proposed
2015 Sea to Sky Transit Future Plan2
2017 study first phase
8 buses, six weekday and four weekend round trips Vancouver to Whistler3
2017 cost estimate
About $3.3 million a year: $1.9 million local, $1.4 million provincial3
Funding ideas
Regional commission and a local fuel tax proposed; neither adopted2
Latest step
Memorandum with the Province signed September 20261

Where it stands

The Province of B.C. controls this. Council can ask for it and push, but can’t do it alone.

Who decides: The Province. Council can press for it.

What each answer would mean

  • Yes, even with a small tax increaseSquamish pays its share of the yearly cost through property taxes.
  • Only if the Province paysThe bus may keep waiting until the Province funds it.
  • NoNo local money goes to a regional bus.

The case for each answer

The strongest honest case for each side, as people who hold it would put it.

Yes, even with a small tax increase

  • Local money shows the Province that corridor communities are serious, and the bus can't start until local partners commit their share.
  • It gives people without a car, and commuters, a cheaper option than private coaches.

Only if the Province pays

  • Highway 99 is a provincial road, and Squamish taxpayers already face big increases for local needs.
  • A provincial service could be built on a corridor wide funding model instead of town by town budgets.

No

  • Private coach companies already run the route, and town money is better spent on local buses and basics.
  • The yearly cost would be permanent and would likely grow.

How we got here

  1. 2015BC Transit's Sea to Sky Transit Future Plan first proposed a bus between corridor communities.2
  2. 2017The Regional Transit Study set out options and led to the Sea to Sky Regional Transit Committee.2
  3. September 2026The committee and the Province signed a memorandum to plan governance, funding and a service model together.1

Questions people ask

How much would Squamish pay?

No share has been set. In 2017 the estimate for all local governments together was about $1.9 million a year.3

Who are the partners?

The Lil'wat Nation, Village of Pemberton, Squamish Lillooet Regional District, Resort Municipality of Whistler, District of Squamish and the Squamish Nation, working with the Province.1

When could a bus start?

No date has been set. The current memorandum is for planning only.1

More background

Sources

  1. Squamish Lillooet Regional District: Memorandum of understanding to continue advancing interregional transit signed (September 22, 2026)
  2. Squamish Lillooet Regional District: Sea to Sky regional transit
  3. Daily Hive: New calls for real public transit linking Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler (January 18, 2023)

Spot something wrong or out of date? Email squamishvoters@gmail.com.