Fraser Valley Express adds buses as demand mounts on Chilliwack-Burnaby route
Busy transit route adds 3 more buses, but critics say it's not enough
Five days a week, Samuel Goertzen braves the crowds on the Fraser Valley Express, riding it from Abbotsford to Burnaby and back. He's one of thousands of daily riders, many of them crammed into the bus as it reaches its maximum capacity during peak hours.
"I've seen it go almost overpacked," he told CBC News. "It feels unsafe."
Goertzon, an SFU student, sometimes leaves home as early as 5:30 a.m. just to beat the rush — even if it means he arrives at school hours before his classes start.
"I know that no one's going to be on there, and that also avoids a lot of the traffic," he said.
The Fraser Valley Express (FVX), which connects Chilliwack to Burnaby, has seen substantial growth in ridership over the past five years and projects more and more riders will jump on and off its buses as municipalities like Abbotsford and Chilliwack continue to grow
On Jan. 5, the service added three additional buses between Burnaby's Lougheed Skytrain Station and McCallum Park in Abbotsford to alleviate pressure.
Between 2015 and 2019, ridership grew from 72,000 to 253,000 boardings. B.C. Transit's senior manager, Rob Ringma, says demand has only increased since.
"We're seeing 200 to 300 per cent increases in ridership since pre-COVID levels," said Ringma. "We're constantly trying to tweak and adjust the schedule as the data, our partners, and even feedback from customers tells us to."
But critics question whether adding more buses to the route, which travels on the Trans Canada Highway, will serve growing demand for public transit in the future as the region expects substantial population growth in the years ahead.
"The express bus, I hate to say it's an exercise in futility, but almost," said Rick Green, a former Langley Township mayor and president of the South Fraser Community Rail Society. "The limitation really is the traffic volume on Highway 1."
Express expansion
According to the 2021 census, the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD), which includes Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Mission, has an estimated population of 337,000. The district projects that number could grow to half a million by 2050.
B.C. Transit says its goal is to get the FVX running at 15-minute intervals and eventually use elongated or double-decker buses. Ringma says agreements with the district are in place to add more buses in January 2026.
He also thinks the widening of Highway 1 between Langley and Abbotsford — a project that's been underway for several years — will improve the rider experience.
"That will likely see some buses on shoulder lanes, which will help us take the Fraser Valley Express service and move it out of the traffic lanes during peak times," he said.
Alternative options
While B.C.'s Highway 1 improvement plan aims to improve accessible transit options, it does not confirm whether there will be dedicated bus lanes.
Green, who has been advocating for a community rail service for years, questions whether additional buses and the widening of the road will be enough to solve transit demands long-term, given both the expected population growth in the valley and increasing congestion along Highway 1, which the bus service relies upon.
According to B.C.'s traffic data program, in 2016, Highway 1, just east of 200th Street in Langley, recorded 81,893 average daily users. That number grew to 98,326 in 2023.
"The growth is so exponentially greater every year," he said. "It doesn't solve the problem."
Green's proposed community rail service would connect Chilliwack to Surrey using a century-old Fraser Valley rail corridor. The project was recently endorsed by Langley Township.
Meanwhile, in the most recent provincial election, David Eby's NDP campaigned on bringing rapid transit to the Fraser Valley, including extending the West Coast Express from downtown Vancouver as far east as Chilliwack.
In its election platform, the NDP said it would work with CP Rail to create a new passenger train service throughout the Fraser Valley.
CBC News has contacted B.C.'s Transportation and Transit Ministry for comment.
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