TransLink has an ambitious climate action plan with goals to achieve enterprise-wide net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.Supplied
Whitney Chan took her first trip on a zero-emission battery-electric bus (BEB) last year, after she had become a program manager for the low-carbon fleet program for Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), an operating company of TransLink (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority). It made her proud of the work she’s doing to help make TransLink’s operations more sustainable.
“I realized that it’s a lot quieter than a diesel bus,” recalls the civil engineer, who commutes daily from Vancouver to the organization’s headquarters in nearby New Westminster via bus and SkyTrain. “Everyone is just focusing on their own thing, not distracted by the engine noise at the back or the exhaust on the street.”
For Chan, the connection between her work and its impact is immediate. “Being part of the Coast Mountain Bus Company team and working on projects that directly impact the region I live in is really rewarding for me,” she continues. “I get to ride on the BEBs the day after they’re in operation and experience the benefit as a rider. It’s really meaningful.”
TransLink is working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by expanding and improving green public transit. In Metro Vancouver, cars and trucks all contribute to emissions, making sustainable transit an important part of the solution.
The TransLink enterprise delivers a comprehensive transportation network across Metro Vancouver. Through its operating companies — Coast Mountain Bus Company, British Columbia Rapid Transit Company and West Coast Express — it provides bus, rapid transit and commuter rail services, while also managing major roads, bridges and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
“Sustainability is embedded into everything we do — all the strategies, the plans, the operations — it all supports regional and provincial environmental and air-quality goals,” says Ralf Nielsen, TransLink’s director of enterprise sustainability.
Nielsen notes that TransLink’s ambitious climate action plan includes a 45 per cent reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 (based on 2010 baseline) — a milestone it achieved in 2025 — and enterprise-wide net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Achieving net-zero emissions, he says, “is a continuous journey, a process, not an end. You’re always learning more as you go along.”
That certainly applies to Chan’s portfolio, which develops performance indicators and monitors BEB performance. Understanding the energy consumption of BEBs is critical to support CMBC’s data-driven decisions such as route electrification priority, operational strategy and zero-emission infrastructure planning.
Sustainability is just good business. Electrifying the fleet reduces energy and operating cost and earns carbon credits that TransLink can sell to big fuel suppliers. TransLink also has an active green bond program and, since 2018, has attracted $1.8 billion in investment for capital projects. “Our commitments to sustainability, and how they shape our capital program, enables us to be very attractive to the investment community,” says Nielsen.
What’s more, TransLink has been reporting its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance since 2010, he points out, and “our ESG commitments and actions get evaluated by the various rating agencies. They see a well-managed company, and this is another way in which sustainability is good for business.”
Overall, sustainability is a unifying force at the TransLink enterprise, Nielsen says. “I think my four-and-a-half years here have been the peak of my career. We know people come to work here for many reasons, but one of them is ‘shared purpose,’ which includes the elements of serving our customers, creating a public good and protecting the environment. We know our sustainability efforts are one factor in attracting and retaining staff because people want to be part of an organization that reflects their values and makes a positive difference.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.