Last August was a milestone for rapid transportation in Richmond with the opening of the Canada Line connecting Richmond Centre, Vancouver International Airport, Waterfront and all points in between in 25 minutes or less.

Once the Canada Line began, I started taking it and a connecting bus to get to Fransen Engineering from Downtown Vancouver.  Sometimes on nice days I have put my bike on the train and cycled part way as well.  This choice has saved me a lot in gas and it has given me a chance to improve my fitness level.

In addition to the environmental & fitness benefits, my commuting life has been enriched by the Canada Line as I have met some interesting characters.  One of the more memorable was a man who was able to complete a randomly arranged Rubik’s cube between each stop all the way from Bridgeport to City Centre.  As you can imagine, he gained a very substantial audience.

The nearest Canada Line station to the Fransen Richmond office is Bridgeport (next to RiverRock Casino).  This station is connected to our office using the 407 (Bridgeport via Vulcan Way) bus which runs during rush hour in the morning and afternoon.  During non peak times we are connected by the 407 & 430 buses which drop off at IKEA.

For comparison, when I drive to work around 7:30am, it takes about to 30 minutes to get to Fransen from Downtown depending on traffic. With the Canada Line & Bus connection, it takes 35 minutes.  On my way home, it would normally take 40 minutes to drive and it takes about the same time with the Canada Line and bus connection.  Why not sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

Interested?  Join me & several other Fransen team members that take transit daily!

The Fransen Sustainability Group is committed to developing Sustainable work practices at the office.  We believe our slogan ‘Think Long Term’, means more than developing deep relationships with our clients, but also ‘thinking long term’ about how we operate our business.

Our clients are starting to expect us to have a Sustainability Plan in place and in most cases, when taking account all the factors, sustainable practices often lead to cost-savings and hence it just makes good business sense.

Our group meets monthly, usually during the last week of the month to discuss initiatives implemented over the past month and to plan out future activities.  We encourage you to get involved and even share ideas by emailing sustainability@fransenengineering.com.