Transit Assistance Program

Each community has their own stock of transit vouchers provided from their transit office. United Way BC only facilitates the Transit Assistance Program; it does not own the program.

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough vouchers available to fulfill the total requests of all agencies who apply to the program as it is, so it’s often that program participants will be the first accommodated if more vouchers are available instead of adding a new program or agency to the participant list.

United Way BC reviews applications to determine need within the community. Allocations are prioritized by the following program services:

1. basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) and those in or at risk of poverty.
2. health and wellness of individuals.
3. education and employment needs.
4. social/recreational opportunities

The approval process considers how many tickets/vouchers are allocated to United Way each quarter, whether need has increased or decreased, and the availability of vouchers from the partner city.

The total number of vouchers available is dependent on what the city has to offer and the number of transit vouchers available. All applicants will be considered, and the total amount of vouchers will be reasonably distributed to anyone eligible.

United Way BC uses these vouchers to fulfill requests coming in for additional vouchers throughout the year. The agencies that receive the extra tickets are still required to report in the same manner as with regular TAP voucher allotments or as TAP participants do (if the request comes from an agency outside of the program). United Way BC reports this ticket usage diversion to the respective City through quarterly reporting.

Reporting and tracking data helps United Way BC and the cities ensure that transit vouchers are utilized properly. Knowing the demographics of who is being assisted also helps future decision-making when changes to programs occur.

Participating agencies must complete a Transit Voucher Use Quarterly Report that is then collated by United Way BC to develop usage data on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. This information is then provided to the partner cities to help inform decision-making.