TransLink launches new and revamped RapidBus routes
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:14:41 +0000
Seven Metro Vancouver communities will see faster, more frequent bus service with the official launch of RapidBus.
“It’s a new bus service, giving new definition to rapid transit in our region,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.
The regional transit authority announced last year that it would replace B-Line bus service with RapidBus, upgrading some existing express bus routes and introducing a number of new lines.
On Monday, four routes went into service.
The RapidBus lines are expected to be, on average, 20-per-cent faster than current local service because of dedicated bus lanes, queue jumps at intersections, fewer stops and all-door boarding on articulated buses. Local routes that use the same corridors will also be faster, thanks to road improvements.
RapidBus stops have digital signs that show when the next buses are set to arrive, and audio information for people with vision impairments. Tactile and braille signage is coming soon. Every stop also has a shelter.
Buses are scheduled to run at least every 10 minutes during peak times and as frequently as every three minutes. Outside of those times, they will run at least every 15 minutes. The four bus routes have the capacity to move up to 10,000 people per hour during peak times.
“The people in these communities have access to the best bus service in the region,” said Desmond. “RapidBus is the premium bus service that our customers deserve.”
TransLink held a news conference Monday to formally introduce its RapidBus program.
Of the four routes entering service Monday, two are new.
The R3 Lougheed Highway runs between Haney Place in Maple Ridge and Coquitlam Central Station, and is scheduled to arrive every 10 minutes and the trip should take about 35 minutes. The R4 between Joyce-Collingwood Station and the University of B.C. in Vancouver will come every three to six minutes, and the trip will also take about 35 minutes.
Pitt Meadows Mayor Bill Dingwall said the R3 will be a significant service improvement for his community and others along Lougheed Highway, and will go a long way toward reinforcing public confidence in the bus system.
“This new service will provide residents with a fast, affordable, frequent and reliable way to get around and efficiently, connecting Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Port Coquitlam to Coquitlam Centre SkyTrain station and beyond,” he said.
The R5 Hastings, a service between Simon Fraser University on Burnaby Mountain and Burrard Station in Vancouver, was introduced in 2016 and capacity has been increased by 25 per cent. Buses will come every four to five minutes during peak hours.
R1 King George Boulevard, formerly the 96 B-Line, runs between Guildford Town Centre and Newton Exchange. Its capacity is increasing by 20 per cent, with buses coming every eight minutes during peak hours.
A RapidBus between Phibbs Exchange in the District of North Vancouver and Park Royal in West Vancouver, the R2 Marine Drive, will launch in April, thanks to construction delays and changes to the route.
Desmond said he expects ridership will be good on the five RapidBus routes, though he did not have any specific projections.
“We have very high hopes for these routes,” he said.
Two more RapidBus routes will be introduced in late 2021 or early 2022, with service to Surrey, Delta and Richmond. Desmond said public consultation on the routes will begin this year.
Five more routes are planned for the third phase of TransLink’s 10-year plan.
Monday also marks the official retirement of the B-Line moniker, except in the case of the 99 B-Line. That route was not upgraded in the same way as other existing express bus lines, because it will be phased out when the new Broadway extension of the Millennium Line goes into service, likely in 2025.
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