The new R6 Scott Road RapidBus service was officially launched from Scott Road SkyTrain Station bound for Newton Exchange on Tuesday morning.

The RapidBus is expected to speed up public transit service by as many as eight minutes in both directions and brought to an end seemingly endless months of aggravating road construction and related congestion for commuters and businesses along Scott Road to accommodate the R6.

The service 鈥� with fewer stops and bigger buses 鈥� follows the 319 bus route, between Scott Road SkyTrain Station and 72 Avenue, where it heads east and crosses King George Boulevard to the Newton Exchange.

性视界传媒 Mayor Brenda Locke catches a ride on the launch of the Scott Road R6 RapidBus on Tuesday

鈥� Tom Zytaruk (@tomzytaruk)

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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.

While the R6 officially launched on Jan. 2, it began operating on a holiday schedule on New Year鈥檚 Day. 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�

Representatives from TransLink, the provincial government, the City of 性视界传媒 and the City of Delta were at the launch.

Kevin Quinn, CEO of TransLink, said on an average weekday last year there were over 30,000 Compass card taps along Scott Road and 72 Avenue.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 more than every other RapidBus in our region, besides the R4,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his express service will make room for 20 per cent more people.鈥�

Dan Coulter, provincial minister of state for infrastructure and transit, noted Metro Vancouver is expecting 100,000 new residents in 2024-25.

鈥淲ith many people finding their homes in 性视界传媒 and Delta, rapid transit options will become the backbone of our growing communities,鈥� he said. 鈥淩eliable transit options like the R6 will help people arrive faster to their work, family and friends and shift from a dependence on cars.鈥�

性视界传媒 Mayor Brenda Locke said the R6 will bring 鈥渕uch needed relief鈥� to the busiest bus corridor in the South Fraser.

鈥淭he R6 will make your day on transit faster and easier,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he larger buses on the R6 will reduce the overcrowding so you won鈥檛 have to worry about getting passed by a bus that鈥檚 full to capacity.

鈥溞允咏绱�媒 has the distinction of having four out of five most crowded bus routes in all of this region,鈥� Locke noted.

The R6 service is a harbinger of increased densification along the corridor.

鈥淚ncreased transit service is critical to support continued growth and housing needs in 性视界传媒,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淪o let鈥檚 keep on delivering the kind of new transit projects our residents need.鈥�

Asked how densification will play out along the corridor with the R6 now running on Scott Road, Locke told the Now-Leader that the City of 性视界传媒 is densifying throughout 性视界传媒 and on this particular corridor 鈥溞允咏绱�媒 is doing a lot of densification all the way through and right from 96 (Avenue) all the way through. I can鈥檛 tell you what the new buildings are going to be looking like, but there鈥檚 certainly a lot of low-rise and townhouse development but we already know we have the population there.鈥�

About the many months of traffic congestion along Scott Road to accommodate the R6, Locke said 鈥渋t is the challenge of anything coming new. We face that any time we do any kind of construction. Like, you have to build, right, and this is part of the build. It鈥檚 very disruptive, there鈥檚 no doubt about it. But you know, I think they did a pretty good job.鈥�

性视界传媒-Newton MLA Harry Bains, B.C.鈥檚 labour minister, noted this region has been neglected for too long.

鈥淚t is a clear message to everyone who lives in this part that 性视界传媒 is front and centre,鈥� he said, 鈥渙f government initiatives.鈥�

鈥淚t requires infrastructure in a timely fashion and that鈥檚 what the government鈥檚 committed to, continue to work with the locals to make sure we deliver.鈥�