Beginning Monday, June 26, Tri-City transit users will see more frequent bus service on several routes but they’ll be shelling out slightly more to ride.
The transit service changes announced recently will put much of the Tri-Cities’ northeast region within easy reach of SkyTrain, including Port Coquitlam, because riders will have shorter waits for a connecting bus, even on the weekends.
“I think the key message here is, since we’ve introduced the Evergreen Extension and have been monitoring, we’ve seen ridership increase and we’ve been making improvements to accommodate growing ridership,” said Peter Klitz, senior planner with TransLink.
As many as local nine routes are being upgraded, with one of the biggest changes being 15-minute service every day on the 160 Port Coquitlam/Kootenay Loop, which runs through PoCo, Port Moody and Coquitlam to Kootenay Loop in Vancouver, with stops at Evergreen stations.
It means that for the first time, Shaughnessy Street and downtown PoCo will have 15-minute transit service all day, every day until 9 p.m.
“That’s the point of the frequent transit network,” Klitz said. “We offer a service level that let’s people walk up to the bus stop with the confidence that a bus will be there in short order to pick them up.”
Other routes that will have more frequent bus service include:
• 171 Coquitlam Central Station/Fremont: Additional service will run every 15 minutes, up from every 30 minutes, on weekdays from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m.; and from 4 to 7 p.m., service will run every five to 25 minutes to meet West Coast Express departures.
• 172 Coquitlam Central Station/Riverside: Will run every 15 minutes, up from every 30 minutes, on weekdays from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m.; and from 4 to 7 p.m., service will run every five to 25 minutes to meet West Coast Express departures.
• 173 Coquitlam Central Station/Cedar: Will run every 10 to 20 minutes, up from every 30 minutes, on weekdays from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., and from 4 to 7 p.m., service will run every 10 to 30 minutes to meet West Coast Express departures.
• 174 Coquitlam Central Station/Rocklin: Additional service will run every 10 to 20 minutes, up from every 30 minutes, on weekdays from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., and from 4 to 7 p.m., service will run every 10 to 30 minutes to meet West Coast Express departures.
Other changes will see 20-minute service (up from 30 minutes), on weekdays from 7 to 9 p.m. on the 180 Moody Centre Station/Lougheed Station to service PoMo and Burquitlam, plus more frequent weekend and holiday service on that route.
As well, there will be 15-minute service (up from 20 minutes in morning and afternoon rush hours) in the Panorama and Heritage Mountain neighbourhoods on the 183 Moody Centre Station/Coquitlam Central Station, and additional community shuttles on busy sections of the 186 and 187 routes in the Westwood Plateau area to connect with SkyTrain and West Coast Express.
To help pay for the changes, fares will go up beginning July 1 as the TransLink Mayors’ Council 10-year vision kicks into high gear.
Under the plan, single-use concession fares will increase by five cents and single-use adult fares will increase by 10 cents, including for HandyDART. As well, DayPass fares will increase by 25 cents while regular Compass users will see their monthly pass fares increase by $1 and $2 depending on zone type.
“To help fund this investment, an increase to fares, an increase in property taxes, and a regional fee on urban development will help support this expansion. Fares have not increased since January 2013 and haven’t kept pace with inflation,” TransLink states on its website.
Klitz explained that the enhancement to Tri-City service will mean commuters can get quicker access to the Evergreen Line with TransLink expecting to see even more ridership. Some routes have seen daily boardings increases of 11% during the week days and up to 17% on Saturdays and 22% on Sundays.
Klitz speculates that adding weekend SkyTrain service to the mix has been a major driver of transit use because, previously, Tri-City residents only had access to the West Coast Express, which only runs weekdays.
“What we’re seeing now because there’s better access to SkyTrain a lot more rider ship on the weekend,” he said, speculating that people are using rapid transit to get around the region for social engagements as well as work.
