Transportation in Vancouver, British Columbia, has many of the features of modern cities worldwide. Unlike many large metropolises, Vancouver has no freeways into or through the downtown area. A proposed freeway through the downtown was rejected in the 1960s by a coalition of citizens, community leaders and planners. This event "signalled the emergence of a new concept of the urban landscape" and has been a consistent element of the city's planning ever since. As the city is surrounded by water on three sides, it has several bridges to the north and south. Although similar to most other cities in that the automobile serves as the primary mode of transport, it has alternatives such as the SkyTrain system, which is the longest fully automated light metro system in the world, and an extensive network of bicycle paths. Until 2020, Vancouver was one of only a few major cities in North America without ridesharing company services, due to a provincial law banning their operation. Legislation was amended to allow such services in 2018. The first ridesharing companies, Uber and Lyft, were approved and began operating in the region in January 2020. Public transport The Metro Vancouver operates a regional rapid mass transit network, under the auspices of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (formerly Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority). Known as TransLink, it is responsible for all aspects of municipal transport. In addition to public transit, TransLink is also responsible for maintaining some roads and providing ferry service within the Lower Mainland. TransLink introduced a smart card based electronic payment system called Compass Card to replace existing monthly and daily passes, tickets and cash. TransLink has been slowly phasing in use of the Compass Card. Summer 2015 saw most post-secondary school students begin using the fare cards. TransLink rolled out the card to the general population in November 2015. The Compass Card has a [C$]6 refundable deposit. It is a NXP Mifare DESFire EV1 card. Bus service Bus service operates throughout most of the region under a subsidiary of TransLink, known as Coast Mountain Bus Company. TransLink was established by the provincial government as a way to divorce itself from the responsibilities of roads, bridges and transit service. Ultimately the provincial government retains responsibility for funding of all projects under the aegis of TransLink. Service in West Vancouver and Lions Bay is contracted through West Vancouver Blue Bus. All buses are wheelchair-accessible