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Access Transit Program

Woman in wheelchair boarding a HandyDART bus

The Access Transit Program was established to ensure that accessible transit is integrated into all our transit plans, projects, and programs. The Access Transit team works closely with the Users’ Advisory Committee and the HandyDART Users’ Advisory Committee to implement accessible programs and services.

On this page

    Transit Travel Guide

    TransLink offers a variety of accessible features and services for customers with disabilities. Read our accessible transit travel guide to learn more.

    View Accessible Transit Travel Guide

    TransLink Mobility Guide Training Videos

    Traveling on transit in Metro Vancouver is easy. Watch our mobility guide training videos to learn more.

    View Mobility Training Guides

    Programs

    We offer a variety of services and programs to ensure everyone is comfortable and confident when using public transit.

    In partnership with community groups throughout the region, TransLink provides large group informational workshops for seniors and people with disabilities to assist with independent travel. ‘Train the Trainer’ workshops are also offered for staff and volunteers who support seniors and people with disabilities.

    For more information or to request a workshop, please contact the Travel Training team at 604.953.3636.

    Mobility Aid Training - Using the Bus with a Mobility Device

    Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) provides practice training sessions at Vancouver Transit Centre on how to board and exit a bus using a mobility device. To contact an instructor and book a training appointment, please call 604.264.5420.

    The purpose of the Access Transit Users’ Advisory Committee (UAC) is to advise TransLink on improvements to the accessibility of our conventional transit services (Bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express). The Committee provides accessibility-related advice on TransLink plans, programs, and other initiatives and is comprised of persons with disabilities, seniors, or their representatives. UAC members are people with disabilities, seniors, or individuals who support people with disabilities and/or seniors. Successful candidates will be appointed to a three-year term.

    For more details about the Committee, please review the UAC Terms of Reference.

    The UAC meets approximately six times per year, and members are appointed for a three year term, with the option to reapply for a second consecutive three year term if they wish.

    Applications for the Access Transit Users' Advisory Committee and HandyDART Users' Advisory Committee closed in September 2026.

    For more information, please contact:

    Access Transit Planning, TransLink
    access.transit@translink.ca
    778.375.7665

    2025 Meeting Agendas and Minutes

    2024

    The HandyDART Users' Advisory Committee (HDUAC) was formed to allow HandyDART customers to provide input on the service. The committee allows us to hear directly from customers and stakeholders to ensure that this service meets their needs. Particularly, as we deliver on an ambitious workplan and policy changes that arose out of the 2017 Custom Transit Service Delivery Review. 

    The purpose of the HDUAC is for HandyDART customers and their representatives and stakeholder groups to provide advice and guidance on HandyDART plans, programs, and other initiatives, and to advise TransLink on matters to improve HandyDART service for customers. HDUAC members are individuals who use HandyDART, or people who provide support for people who use HandyDART. Successful candidates will be appointed to a three-year term.

    For more details about the Committee, please review the HDUAC Terms of Reference.

    The committee is composed of a maximum of 13 members and is intended to represent a diversity of disability sectors, municipal and regional districts, age groups, genders, and cultures.

    Applications for the Access Transit Users' Advisory Committee and HandyDART Users' Advisory Committee closed in September 2026.

    For more information, please contact:
    Access Transit Planning
    778.375.7665
    access.transit@translink.ca

    2026 Meeting Agendas and Minutes

    2025 Meeting Agendas and Minutes

    Past Meeting Agendas and Minutes

    2024

    In 2023, TransLink became the first transit system in Canada with braille signage at every bus stop to improve transit information available to customers who are blind or partially sighted. This included the installation of signage at more than 8,400 bus stops throughout Metro Vancouver.

    The signs contain:

    • Information written in both Unified English Braille and raised tactile letters

    • Bus stop ID numbers

    • Bus routes serving that bus stop

    • Bay or bus stop indicators

    • Customer Information phone number

    Tactile walking surface indicators were also installed at every bus stop located on property that TransLink owns. These raised surface indicators are mounted to the ground to help customers who are blind or partially sighted know they’re near the bus stop while helping direct them to the front door of the bus.


    Testimonials with described video

    Rob Sleath from Access Transit Users’ Advisory Committee shares his transit experiences and the need for the signs.



    Joan Billesberger from the Canadian Braille Service shares her story and how braille helps her to be more independent.


    Access Transit Resources

    TransLink is pleased to provide one of the most accessible transit systems in Canada, offering a variety of accessible features and services for customers with disabilities. View our Accessible Transit Travel Guide for more information.

    We're committed to making transit easy to use for people of all ages and abilities.

    In partnership with AutismBC and Beckett 3D Studio, we created a new online tool to help individuals with autism feel more confident when travelling on Metro Vancouver buses.

    Use our virtual bus tool to tour a 3D TransLink bus at your own pace via a desktop computer or mobile device.

    Traveling on transit in Metro Vancouver is easy, follow these mobility guides to learn more.

    Training videos are available in English with American Sign Language (ASL), Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

    English with ASL

    Compass Cards and Tickets

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    Traveling on a Bus

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    HandyCard

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    Traveling on SkyTrain

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    Assistance on transit

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    SeaBus overview

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    West Coast Express

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

     

    Trip planning

    View this video in English Described Video, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Ukrainian.

    Accessibility Plan

    The 2026 Accessibility Plan outlines how TransLink and its operating companies are working to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people using or interacting with our transit system, workplaces, and digital spaces.

    The plan supports our commitment to making our organization accessible and welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. It also helps move us closer to the Transport 2050 vision of Access for Everyone, where every person in Metro Vancouver can easily connect to the opportunities they need to thrive.

    This plan includes 30 actions across four key areas:

    • Service Design and Delivery

    • Built Environment

    • Information and Communications

    • Transportation

    Each action is categorized as short term, medium term, or ongoing. The plan will be updated every three years based on feedback received from the public and our advisory committees.

    Read the 2026 Accessibility Plan

    Read the 2026 Accessibility Plan with large font and no pictures

    Plan Development

    Our work is guided by the principle of “nothing about us without us.” This means people who rely on accessible transit — including people with disabilities, seniors, and their advocates — are active partners in shaping our plans and priorities.

    The plan brings together accessibility-related actions from across TransLink, Coast Mountain Bus Company, BC Rapid Transit Company, and Metro Vancouver Transit Police. It also includes actions from key planning documents, including Transport 2050, Access for Everyone, the 2026-2030 Customer Experience Action Plan, and the HandyDART Customer-First Plan.

    Members from our Access Transit User’s Advisory Committee and HandyDART Users’ Advisory Committee provided valuable feedback and suggestions for new actions incorporated into the plan.

    TransLink also drew on nearly 3,700 customer feedback submissions, outreach to 38 local organizations and interest groups, and public feedback gathered during an open engagement period in spring 2026.

    2026 Accessibility Plan Background

    The 2026 Accessibility Plan was developed in accordance with the Accessible British Columbia Act (ABCA). Under the Act, TransLink is identified as an accessible organization and is required to have:

    • An accessibility committee

    • An accessibility plan

    • A tool to receive feedback on accessibility

    Our first Accessibility Plan was released in 2023. The 2026 Accessibility Plan builds on that work and sets out the next steps TransLink and its operating companies are taking to improve accessibility across our network.

    What is a Barrier?

    A barrier is anything that hinders the full and equal participation in society of a person with an impairment. They can be caused by environments, attitudes, practices, policies, information, communications, or technologies and be affected by intersecting forms of discrimination.

    Stay in Touch

    T: 778.375.7665

    E: access.transit@translink.ca

    Get updates right to your inbox on accessible transit, including HandyDART programs and initiatives, advisory committee meetings, and other accessible transit initiatives.

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    T: 604.398.2042

    Toll Free: 1.888.207.4055

    Monday to Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

    Online Feedback Form

    T: 604.953.3333

    Phone line operating hours: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week.

    X (Twitter): @translink

    X (Twitter) operating hours: 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Monday to Friday. 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday

    We can serve you over the phone in more than 300 languages!

    Call us during operating hours and tell the agent your preferred language. You will be placed on hold while a certified third-party translator is added to the line. View our list of available languages.

    Don’t see your language on the list? Let us know! We’re working with our partners at MCIS to continue to expand our offerings – including local Indigenous languages.

    Sign up for HandyDART

    T: 604.953.3680

    Book or cancel a trip

    T: 604.575.6600

    Trip Feedback

    Complete the HandyDART Feedback Form.

    Note: The HandyDART contractor, Transdev, provides customized transportation to customers with disabilities.

    T: 604.953.3636