Canada-Vancouver: Innovative strategies to improve mobility across Metro

Background

TransLink is committed to ongoing exploration, testing, and implementation of innovative strategies to improve mobility across Metro Vancouver. By working together, we can more quickly identify and test new solutions. The Innovation Demonstration Program seeks technologies that can help us improve our work in digital services, infrastructure and fleet, and building energy management; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and develop ridership. We are specifically interested in solutions that:

Digital services and infrastructure:

• Simplify residents’ interaction with Metro Vancouver’s transportation systems (for example, a platform that would enable customers to seamlessly use multiple transportation modes).
• Improve equitable access to transportation systems, including analytics solutions to quantify social equity impacts.
• Better connect customers to transportation options during peak and off-peak periods.
• Increase transportation system operating efficiency and reduce cost.

Fleet and building energy management and greenhouse gas reduction:

• Optimize how electric buses are charged and dispatched (see TransLink Low Carbon Fleet Strategy). 
• Optimize energy use and improve energy efficiency in TransLink operations and facilities.
• Integrate transportation energy use with electric, liquid, and gaseous fuel supply grids in a manner that reduces both costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Help move people and goods across the region with zero emissions.

Ridership development:

• Support ridership development and optimize how the transit system is being used. For example, this could include solutions that reduce barriers to ridership, help distribute ridership across operating hours, and attract new customer groups.
• This also includes solutions that enable targeted, dynamic, and science-based engagement with individual ridership groups, including:
• Businesses – to promote sustainable and healthy commutes
• Developers – to provide optimal travel choices and amenities to residents
• Youth – to promote active transportation options and educate families
• Seniors – to reduce barriers to mobility and make travel more convenient

Desired Outcome

A successful demonstration project will provide both quantitative and qualitative evidence to prove the solution’s value proposition to TransLink (e.g. improved customer experience, cost reductions, improved efficiency, improved equity, reduced emissions); deliver actionable insights for the solution to be scaled across TransLink’s enterprise and operations (e.g. risk management, project phasing); and serve as a case study for the solutions provider.

Benefits

• TransLink offers funding and collaborative support to incubate, develop, pilot, and implement ideas proposed in successful submissions. Should TransLink accept your idea, the authority will work with you to hone your concept and help turn it into reality. This support might include:
• Co-funding to further develop your idea (for pre-commercialized ideas)
• Access to TransLink assets to test or demonstrate your ideas (for near-commercialized ideas)
• Opportunities to pilot ideas on a large scale (for market-ready ideas)

TransLink will prioritize proponents who can demonstrate their solution’s value with low-cost and low-effort proofs of concept. The authority will determine available co-funding on a project-specific basis; amounts will depend on a proven value proposition.

Published on 26 May, 2023.