In Metro Vancouver, Translink has commenced its R6 Scott Road RapidBus service operating in Surrey and Delta.
The RapidBus provides more frequent and reliable bus service for residents of Surrey and Delta, as well as Kwantlen Polytechnic University students.
Surrey and Delta are part of the fastest-growing area for bus ridership in Metro Vancouver, with boardings exceeding 2019 levels by 16 percent.
Translink is thus deploying articulated buses on the new service, providing a 20 percent capacity increase on this high-demand corridor.
In addition, customer travel time on this route has been reduced by 10 percent in each direction between Scott Road Station and Newton Exchange.
This is thanks to bus speed and reliability improvements, including fewer stops; all-door boarding; the use of bus priority lanes; and the use of a centre-median bus boarding area at Scott Road and 72nd Avenue.
Furthermore, the service will soon feature improved bus stops with live digital signage and audio information.
Street changes have also been made along the corridor to enhance safety. This includes new crosswalks, protected left turn lanes, signal improvements, and selected locations for making U-turns.
The 33 million CAD investment in the R6 RapidBus line was delivered by TransLink, the City of Surrey and the City of Delta and was paid for through the Mayor of Vancouver’s 10-Year Investment Plan, 40 percent of which is funded by the Government of British Columbia.
The launch of the R6 marks TransLink’s largest service expansion since 2020 and is the sixth RapidBus route to be deployed in Metro Vancouver.
The R6 will run in addition to Route 319 from 5 am to 1 am seven days a week. Both services will maintain 15-minute service intervals or better all day, and during peak hours, the R6 will operate every seven and a half minutes, while the 319 will arrive every ten minutes.
TransLink also plans to upgrade the R6 route to bus rapid transit (BRT) through further bus priority measures in the future if it receives the required funding.
