TransLink is hoping to duplicate the success of its B-Line service with 58 new large-capacity buses providing 10- to 15-minute frequency on four routes, including one between Maple Ridge and Coquitlam.
The route along Lougheed Highway from Haney Place to Coquitlam Central Station though Port Coquitlam is expected to be rolled out by the end of 2019.
Tuesday, TransLink officials were on hand at the PoCo transit centre to announce the planned service that will extend frequent bus service to several suburban communities: PoCo, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge; Vancouver (between Joyce-Collingwood Station and UBC along 41st Avenue); through Surrey to Langley along the Fraser Highway; and in North Vancouver from Dundarave to the Phibbs Exchange.
Once in place, the new B-Line routes will put 207,000 people within walking distance of frequent transit and will run every 10 minutes or better during peak periods and 15 minutes or better during off-peak periods, with the service available 18 hours a day.
This means riders can simply show up and catch a bus without having to memorize bus schedules or time their departures.
Calling the new service a “game changer,” PoCo Mayor Greg Moore said cities will be encouraged to build density around the B-Line bus stops and the ability to then live without a car could make the suburbs more affordable.
“If you can live close to the frequent transit network, rail or B-Line, you can save money, you can have more affordability for your household,” he said.
Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce chair Catherine Ackerman said extending the B-Line service will provide more options for business to attract workers and help workers get to their jobs more efficiently.
Expanding the labour pool is necessary during times of high employment, Ackerman said, and if people can get to more places easily, they have more options for jobs.
“Businesses can draw talent to an area and tap into a larger workforce,” she said.
TransLink is asking the public to weigh in on bus stop locations, local route adjustments and possible changes to street infrastructure to accommodate the new routes. A survey will be available beginning April. 3 and TransLink is also consulting with cities, said Kevin Desmond, CEO of the transportation authority.
The improvements are part of the Mayors’ 10-Year Vision and build upon region-wide transit expansion launched last year.
FACT FACTS
• The route: The new B-Line along Lougheed Highway will service Coquitlam Centre, Port Coquitlam Centre, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. It will provide connections to the Millennium Line and the West Coast Express.
• Since its launch in 1996, the 99 B-Line in Vancouver along Broadway has become the busiest bus route in Canada and the U.S.
• Surrey’s 96 B-Line is the fastest-growing B-Line in the region; ridership has increased 77% on weekdays and 105% on weekends since it launched in 2013.
• Burnaby and Vancouver’s 95 B-Line along Hastings Street, TransLink’s newest, has reduced travel time by 10 minutes.
