Transit users to get faster buses with launch of 4 RapidBus routes Jan. 6

TransLink will roll out its new limited-stop bus service on four routes starting Jan. 6. 

The Metro Vancouver transit authority says the blue-and-green RapidBus will run 20 per cent faster than local bus service because of fewer stops, bus-only lanes, signal priority and all-door boarding. 

A fifth route on Marine Drive between Phibbs Exchange and Park Royal will launch between February and April 2020 due to construction delays.

TransLink is rebranding two existing B-line routes to RapidBus:

• R1 (formerly 96 B-Line) on King George Boulevard will run every eight minutes during peak hours.
• R5 (formerly 95 B-Line) on Hastings Street will run every four to five minutes during peak hours.

Two new routes will be unveiled:

• R3 Lougheed Hwy between Coquitlam Central Station and Haney Place in Maple Ridge. Buses will run every 10 minutes during peak hours.
• R4 41st Ave between Joyce Station and UBC. Buses will run every three to six minutes during peak hours.

Outside of peak hours, RapidBus will run every 15 minutes or more from 6 a.m. to midnight every day.

RapidBus bus stops will have real-time digital signs to let customers know when the next bus is arriving. Customers with visual impairment will also be able to push a button on the sign to get audio updates. 

The 99 B-Line will retain its moniker until the opening of the Broadway Subway, which is expected in 2025.

TransLink is also adjusting some Metro Vancouver bus routes:

• 41 Joyce Station/Crown will end at Crown Street, instead of the UBC bus exchange and will run every 15 minutes daily during service hours.
• 480 UBC/Bridgeport will run during peak hours only. TransLink says riders can take the Canada Line or the R4, connecting at Oakridge Station for faster service.

The transit authority says the changes will add space for up to 20,000 more riders each weekday and 65,000 more annual bus service hours to the system.