A new R6 Scott Road RapidBus to be on the road by New Year鈥檚 Day is expected to speed up bus service along Scott Road by as many as eight minutes in both directions.
TransLink says the R6 will be able to pick up to 20 per cent more riders on what it says is the busiest bus corridor south of the Fraser River, picking up more than 30,000 passengers every weekday and experiencing the strongest transit ridership growth in Metro Vancouver.
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn noted 性视界传媒 riders are becoming 鈥渋ncreasingly frustrated鈥� with overcrowding and being passed up by full buses. 鈥淭here鈥檚 60 to 70 per cent more bus overcrowding system-wide than last year and it is now worse today on every day of the week than it was back in fall of 2019.鈥�
He said four out of five of TransLink鈥檚 overcrowded bus routes are in 性视界传媒. 鈥淲e know this leaves customers absolutely, understandably frustrated. Know that I am very frustrated by this as well. The reality is expansion came to a grinding halt when the pandemic hit and we鈥檙e now starting to really see the consequences of investment falling behind our region鈥檚 growth.鈥�
Quinn noted that according to census figures 45 per cent of 性视界传媒鈥檚 population are immigrants. Strategic investments in 性视界传媒 by TransLink, with the resources it has, has seen transit service increase by 22 per cent since April 2020. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 more than any other area in our region.鈥�
鈥淲e have not grown at the same rate that 性视界传媒 has grown,鈥� he noted. 鈥淲e have a lot of work ahead of us but I really do believe we have a clear path to achieve our goals and secure a sustainable future as we look to welcome thousands of new customers and new connections.鈥�
While the R6 officially launches on Jan. 2 it will be operating on a holiday schedule before then. According to a press release, it鈥檚 TransLink鈥檚 sixth RapidBus service in Metro Vancouver, 鈥渨ith high frequencies, bus priority lanes, limited stops, all-door boarding, and articulated 60-foot buses.鈥�
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in 性视界传媒 on what TransLink is doing to address complaints about buses not picking up riders.
鈥� Tom Zytaruk (@tomzytaruk)
Quinn said during a 性视界传媒 Board of Trade luncheon on Dec. 8 said TransLink鈥檚 bus ridership is 鈥渂ooming,鈥� with the third-highest of all public transit operators in Canada and the U.S. Each week, he noted, roughly one-third 鈥� about 900,000 people 鈥� of this region鈥檚 population relies on rapid transit.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 like Taylor Swift selling out 17 concerts at BC Place every single week,鈥� Quinn told his audience at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel. 鈥溞允咏绱� and other areas across the region are hungry for more transit and I鈥檝e got to say, for TransLink鈥檚 part, we鈥檙e eager to deliver.鈥�
He said it鈥檚 鈥渃lear鈥� that to solve the region鈥檚 housing crisis people 鈥渉ave to acknowledge transit鈥檚 ability to open the door to affordable housing and growth. The reality is that without really good transportation, our region could come to a grinding halt.鈥�
READ ALSO: TransLink鈥檚 鈥榙aunting鈥� $4.7B deficit bad news for 性视界传媒鈥檚 economy, workforce
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Quinn challenged his audience to picture traffic congestion one year from now, with 70,000 more cars on the road, 鈥渁nd now think about 2050, and now there鈥檚 one million more people living in our region. I mean, just imagine, right? And think about the investment we have to make to keep up with growth.鈥�
He said TransLink can no longer rely on the fuel tax with the rise of electric vehicles and more energy and fuel-efficient vehicles. 鈥淭hat is a declining revenue source and it is not coming back. Further, inflation has had an unexpected impact on us. In short, cost pressures on fuel, labour, parts, materials, are up for us.鈥�
TransLink is facing a shortfall of 20 per cent or more in fare revenues and without a new funding model it will face an annual revenue shortfall of $600 million per year starting in 2026. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 about 30 per cent of our annual revenue. We need a better, more sustainable way to fund transit and I鈥檓 confident that we will find a solution.鈥�
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