[van-announce] BRU launches 2003 Organizing Campaign!

[Yang Chang]

The Vancouver Bus Riders Union is ready for a new year of exciting 
educating, organizing and mobilizing bus riders in the Lower Mainland to 
fight transit racism and the privatization of our bus system.  

In the summer of 2002, our On the Bus organizers rode the bus and talked 
to thousands of bus riders.	We heard first hand the impact of bus cuts 
and fare hikes  on bus riders in this region.  We gathered grassroots 
research on the transit system through our interactive Justice Journal.  
We organized information tables at bus loops and colleges. Based on 
our research and direct contact with riders, we developed and are 
pleased to announce two major campaigns: End Transit Racism! and 
Defend and Expand Public Services: Billions for Buses!

End Transit Racism!
BRU organizers know from experience that at least 60 percent of bus 
riders are people of colour; on many bus routes this numbers is much 
higher. TransLink cuts to bus service are systemic racism in action. Bus 
cuts are an attack on the right to mobility and a reduction in the 
standard  of living for thousands of people of colour who depend on 
the bus to access the region. Working class neighbourhoods with 
diesel bus routes are predominantly composed of people of colour; 
diesel buses that pollute with black soot and noise.  On top of the
pollution and the daily struggle to move around the city, people of 
colour are subjected to racial profiling during ìfare checksî and 
transit police have even called Immigration on transit users. 
TransLink only publishes its materials in English, making transit
information inaccessible to the thousands of riders who speak 
Cantonese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Punjabi.  The Bus Riders Union 
demands an end to transit racism!	We envision a publicly owned and 
operated bus system designed by and for those who ride it.

Cuts to Night Owl service are the most blatant example of transit racism. 
Cuts to the Night Owl buses had immediate impact on bus riders, and 
continue to be a major concern. TransLink is talking about introducing a 
"premium service" on Friday and Saturday nights, benefiting some bus 
riders, but primarily the weekend entertainment business. "Premium 
service" leaves low-income bus riders out in the cold late at night seven 
days a week. Night owl buses are not only for party-goers; night buses 
are essential transportation for thousands of night shift workers, who 
are 
primarily people of colour. Without 24-hour bus service, our access to 
jobs is reduced. When we demand Night Owl buses, we demand the right 
to transportation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Defend and Expand Public Services: Billions for Buses!
Bus riders know the problems with the bus system in the Lower Mainland: 
long waits, over-crowding, high fares, and non-accessible buses. Our bus 
fleet is in need of repair as electric trolley buses are being replaced 
by 
polluting diesel buses. We are in desperate need of a huge expansion of 
the bus fleet. Yet, TransLink continues to cut bus service and halt 
contracts for new buses, claiming a budget shortfall. We at the BRU know 
that this is really a question of priorities. TransLink pours money into 
capital-intensive projects like SkyTrain, electronic fare boxes, and 
fancy 
bus shelters, which divert money away from buses, and into private 
contracting companies, creating enormous debts. TransLink raises fares 
to pay for these expensive projects, making public transportation 
increasingly unaffordable to many bus riders.

The Bus Riders Union continues to organize for more buses and lower 
fares in our campaigns to Defend and Expand Public Services! and End 
Transit Racism Now!  We demand Night Owl Buses: End the Curfew 
Now! and Billions for Buses: No SkyTrain to Richmond! 

We hope that you will join us to win our right to transportation 24 hours 
a day, 7 days a week. This is an exciting year ahead, full of on-the-bus 
organizing, leafleting, forums, and rallies! Join other bus riders in the
fight for more buses, lower fares and GET INVOLVED!

Do you want to learn more about the Bus Riders Union in Vancouver?  
Come to our next event: Organizing on the Bus in Vancouver. Bus Riders 
Union organizers will share their experiences organizing on the streets 
and on the buses in Vancouver. 

Visit our website at bru.resist.ca or call us at 604-215-2775 for more 
information. 


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