A number of Metro Vancouver bus routes will soon have different schedules and routes, according to TransLink.
The ongoing growth of suburban population and ridership levels in different neighbourhoods is the key factor for the changes.
“TransLink changes bus service every quarter to better reflect changing demand and travel patterns throughout Metro Vancouver, and each change is based on route-specific ridership data and crowding metrics,” said Dan Mountain, a TransLink spokesperson.
“In January, we are increasing overall bus service hours throughout Metro Vancouver by approximately 23,000 service hours, which is a 0.4 per cent increase in bus service. This includes changes to 45 routes throughout Metro Vancouver.”
The changes will see 24 routes, mainly serving south of the Fraser, arriving faster; 14 routes across Metro Vancouver will see service adjusted depending on popular travel times; and seven routes, mostly downtown, will see fewer buses.
People can view the specific changes on TransLink’s website for a full breakdown.
Langley City’s mayor said the changes are needed, especially in his neck of the woods.
“We know that demand exceeds supply,” said Nathan Pachal.
“We have a huge demand for transit service, an extremely large demand in the South Fraser area. We need to be investing in transit service.”
According to TransLink, ridership levels in the Fraser Valley area have returned to 98 per cent of pre-pandemic levels while the Vancouver area has recovered 74 per cent.
“What we’ve noticed over the last couple of years is transit service has been recovering faster in communities such as Langley, White Rock and Surrey compared to Vancouver,” Pachal said.
“TransLink has been adjusting service to shift to where we’re seeing even above 2019 ridership.”
The changes take effect on Monday, Jan. 2.
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