Toys for Tots initiative enters 38^th year benefitting families

NEW WESTMINSTER, BC – Metro Vancouver streets are about to get a lot more festive with the return of TransLink’s nine Reindeer Buses. The West Coast Express Santa Train also returns for two Saturdays in December, helping to spread the holiday spirit throughout the region.

The popular Reindeer Buses collect and deliver toys to families who need it as part of the Toys for Tots program. Toys for Tots, now in its 38^th year, collects toys and cash donations from staff at Coast Mountain Bus Company, BC Rapid Transit Company, HandyDART, Transit Police and TransLink offices, and delivers them to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.

“We know how much customers love our Reindeer Bus fleet,” says TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “This is the season to give and make a difference to every child and family through the Toys for Tots program. We encourage everyone to participate and enjoy a ride on the Reindeer Bus or Santa Train.”

The West Coast Express Santa Train returns this year for two Saturdays in December, Dec. 9 and 16. Families can take the train for free by receiving a Compass DayPass in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy or cash donation made during those mornings. To learn more about the West Coast Express Santa Train schedule, visit translink.ca/wce.

Reindeer Bus Facts:

• Over the years, 93,483 toys and over $54,320 have been donated
• Each Reindeer Bus is named after a different reindeer guiding Santa’s sleigh
• The routes the Reindeer Bus will travel vary each day based on scheduling by elves at each bus depot
• The buses have been decorated by Santa’s elves at each bus depot

Customers who would like to donate to Toys for Tots can drop off unwrapped toys at the following locations:

• TransLink Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station
• SkyTrain Customer Assistance Counter at Commercial–Broadway
• Lonsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal

Unwrapped toys will be delivered to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau on Friday, Dec. 15, but donation bins will remain at the TransLink Customer Service Centre inside Waterfront Station until Sunday, Dec. 24.

Donations for the West Coast Express Santa Train will benefit the communities served by the West Coast Express. Beneficiaries include the Mission Christmas Bureau, the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society, the Tri-Cities Share Society, and the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.

Complete your holiday season with the new TransLink Holiday Sweater. These are perfect gifts for the transit enthusiasts in your life, or for personal use while riding the Reindeer Bus or West Coast Express Santa Train. Visit the TransLink Store at www.translinkstore.ca.

More information:
Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau
West Coast Express Santa Train schedule

Media downloads:
Reindeer Bus and Toys for Tots photos

Media contact:
TransLink Media Relations
E: media@translink.ca