TransLink, with partners in the cities of Surrey and Delta, have started construction for a new RapidBus service on the Scott Road corridor – the busiest bus corridor south of the Fraser River with more than 30,000 bus boardings each weekday. The R6 Scott Road RapidBus will provide more convenient and reliable service with fewer stops to help Surrey and Delta residents better connect with SkyTrain, making their commute faster by up to ten minutes in each direction.
The new R6 service will be TransLink’s largest service expansion since 2020. It will help keep up with rapidly growing demand for transit in Surrey and Delta, which is now exceeding pre-pandemic ridership levels and experiencing Metro Vancouver’s strongest ridership growth.
“At 110 percent, ridership south of the Fraser River is exceeding pre-pandemic volumes and is growing faster than the rest of Metro Vancouver. The R6 will be a major improvement that will help us keep pace with the demand in these growing communities. This upgrade will bring much-needed relief to Surrey and Delta commuters while also providing faster, more reliable service to Kwantlen Polytechnic University,” said Kevin Quinn, CEO, TransLink.
R6 improvements compared to current bus service will include:
- Fewer stops
- Articulated buses with more capacity
- All-door boarding at bus stops
- More bus priority lanes along the corridor
- Improved bus stops with live next-bus digital signage that can also read next-bus information out loud for customers with sight loss
Road improvements are now under way to deliver more dedicated bus lanes, upgraded bus stops and a new bus lot near Newton Exchange. In addition to RapidBus, the Scott Road corridor has been identified as a potential future corridor for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Transport 2050: Ten-Year Priorities.
The R6 will provide express, limited-stop service between Scott Road SkyTrain Station and Newton Exchange alongside Route 319, which currently serves the corridor. Route 319 is the busiest bus route south of the Fraser River and the fifth busiest bus route in Metro Vancouver. When the R6 is in service, Route 319 will continue to operate its regular route, servicing every stop along the corridor.
“The new RapidBus route along Scott Road will have an immediate impact in moving people and relieving congestion. The fast and frequent service RapidBus provides will encourage more people to get out of their cars and make the jump to transit. I look forward to working with TransLink to expand more transit options for Surrey,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke.
The C$33 million (US$24.5 million) capital improvements are paid for through the Mayors’ 10-Year Vision, of which the government of British Columbia contributed 40 percent of all capital costs. The R6 Scott Road RapidBus is expected to be in service by early 2024.
“At a time when other cities across the country are cutting service levels in public transit systems as a result of the pandemic, our government is working with our partners in local government to invest in the public transit that people need. New, faster routes and service expansions like this one will result in a better transit future for everyone who relies on our public transit system,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure and minister responsible for TransLink.
