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RapidBus
Overview
System	TransLink
Operator	Coast Mountain Bus Company
Began service	January 6, 2020
Routes	6
Stops	75
Route map RapidBus highlighted in green ← {{{previous_line}}}  {{{system_nav}}}  {{{next_line}}} →

RapidBus is an express bus network with bus rapid transit elements in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

History

On November 23, 2016, the Mayors' Council and TransLink's board of directors approved the first phase of the 10-Year Vision, which included provisions for new B-Line routes (later rebranded as RapidBus) which began service in January 2020. In July 2019, TransLink announced that all future B-Line routes would officially be launched under new "RapidBus" branding and that the 95 and 96 B-Lines would also transition to that branding, leaving route 99 as the only remaining B-Line.

The first wave of routes using the RapidBus branding – consisting of the R1 King George Blvd (the former 96 B-Line), the new R3 Lougheed Hwy, the new R4 41st Ave (replacing the 43 express service along 41st Avenue), and the R5 Hastings St (the former 95 B-Line) – launched on January 6, 2020.

The R2 Marine Drive launched on April 6, 2020, after construction delays, replacing the former 239. The R6 Scott Rd launched on January 2, 2024, for service in Surrey and Delta.

Features

• All-door boarding
• Shelters and benches at stops
• Tactile pads
• Real-time information
• Information panels at stops
• On-board route diagrams
• Transit priority measures on streets to improve travel times
• Custom exterior bus livery
• Frequent service

RapidBus routes

Phase 1

Phase 2

Future phases

Cancelled RapidBus routes

Fraser Highway

Proposals for a Fraser Highway B-Line were made in 2018 along with what would become the Marine Drive, Lougheed Highway, and 41st Avenue RapidBus routes. However, a decision was made in December of that year to cancel the proposed route (which would have been rebranded as RapidBus) in favour of a revision of service on routes 502 and 503 in the short term, and an extension of the Expo Line from Surrey to Langley Centre in the long term.

R7 Richmond – Metrotown station

This line was cancelled in October 2023 following the rejection of a proposed route by Richmond's city council. The R7 route would have roughly followed the existing 430 route via Bridgeport Road, the Knight Street Bridge, and 49th Avenue.

Bus rapid transit lines

TransLink intends to implement 9 bus rapid transit (BRT) lines in the coming decade, including 3 that will be upgraded from RapidBus, contingent on funding from senior levels of government. The lines will feature all-day frequent service with limited stops, near-continuous dedicated lanes and signal priority at major intersections, high-capacity buses with all-door boarding. The lines will have "rail-like" stations with next-bus departure screens, transit maps and weather protection.

Future phases

Possible BRT lines

Metrotown to North Shore

On November 16, 2023, TransLink made an announcement detailing three priority rapid transit corridors, including the Metrotown to North Shore corridor. The announcement called for an "immediate" extension of the R2 RapidBus past Phibbs Exchange to Metrotown station, as well as the prioritization of a BRT line. However, several sources, including a page on TransLink's website, indicate that BRT on this corridor is only a possibility and that other rail-based modes are also being considered.

See also

• List of bus routes in Metro Vancouver

References

1. ^ "RapidBus is Coming!". YouTube. TransLink. July 23, 2019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
2. "Phase One of the 10-Year Vision Backgrounder" (PDF). tenyearvision.translink.ca. TransLink. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
3. ^ Saltman, Jennifer (July 24, 2019). "TransLink unveils new RapidBus service to replace B-Lines". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
4. "RapidBus Program". translink.ca. TransLink. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
5. ^ "R2: Marine Dr". translink.ca. TransLink. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
6. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/translink-unveils-new-r6-rapidbus-in-surrey-1.7072835
7. ^ "R6 Scott Road RapidBus". TransLink.ca. TransLink. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
8. "RapidBus Projects | R2 Extension to Metrotown". translink.ca. TransLink. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
9. "TransLink to add 4 new B-Line bus routes by end of 2019". CTV Vancouver. March 7, 2018. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
10. "Mayor's Council On Regional Transportation Public Meeting Agenda Revised: December 11, 2018" (PDF). TransLink. December 13, 2018. p. 83. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
11. Chan, Kenneth (October 16, 2023). "No BRT, no RapidBus: Richmond City Council rejects TransLink's proposed route to Metrotown". Daily Hive Vancouver. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
12. Chan, Kenneth (April 20, 2022). "TransLink to double bus service, including 9 new Bus Rapid Transit lines | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
13. ^ "BRT Attributes for Metro Vancouver" (PDF). Translink. November 16, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
14. ^ "Bus Rapid Transit". www.translink.ca. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
15. Announcing new rapid transit corridors 🚌, November 17, 2023, retrieved November 17, 2023

External links

• TransLink

v t e TransLink services in Metro Vancouver
SkyTrain History – Lines and stations – Rolling stock Expo Line   Waterfront ■■■■ Burrard ■ Granville Stadium–Chinatown Main Street–Science World Commercial–Broadway ■■ Nanaimo 29th Avenue Joyce–Collingwood ■ Patterson Metrotown Royal Oak Edmonds 22nd Street New Westminster Columbia ■ Scott Road ■ Gateway Surrey Central ■ King George ■ Lougheed branch Columbia ■ Sapperton Braid Lougheed Town Centre ■ Production Way–University ■ Surrey–Langley extension (future) Green Timbers 152 Street Fleetwood Bakerview–166 Street Hillcrest–184 Street Clayton Willowbrook Langley City Centre Millennium Line   VCC–Clark Commercial–Broadway ■■ Renfrew Rupert Gilmore Brentwood Town Centre Holdom Sperling–Burnaby Lake Lake City Way Production Way–University ■ Lougheed Town Centre ■ Burquitlam Moody Centre ■ Inlet Centre Coquitlam Central ■■ Lincoln Lafarge Lake–Douglas Broadway extension (future) Arbutus South Granville Oak–VGH Broadway–City Hall ■ Mount Pleasant Great Northern Way–Emily Carr Canada Line   Waterfront ■■■■ Vancouver City Centre Yaletown–Roundhouse Olympic Village Broadway–City Hall ■ King Edward Oakridge–41st Avenue ■ Langara–49th Avenue Marine Drive Bridgeport ■ Capstan Aberdeen Lansdowne Richmond–Brighouse Airport branch Bridgeport ■ Templeton Sea Island Centre YVR–Airport
Passenger ferry and commuter rail SeaBus   Waterfront ■■■■ Lonsdale Quay ■ West Coast Express   Waterfront ■■■■ Moody Centre ■ Coquitlam Central ■■ Port Coquitlam Pitt Meadows Maple Meadows Port Haney Mission City
Bus routes and transit exchanges B-Line   99 B-Line RapidBus   R1 King George Blvd R2 Marine Dr R3 Lougheed Hwy R4 41st Ave R5 Hastings St R6 Scott Rd Exchanges Blanca Loop Capilano University Exchange Carvolth Exchange Dunbar Loop Guildford Exchange Haney Place Exchange Kootenay Loop Ladner Exchange Langley Centre Lonsdale Quay Marpole Loop Newton Exchange Park Royal Exchange Phibbs Exchange Scottsdale Exchange SFU Exchange South Delta Exchange South Surrey Park and Ride Stanley Park Loop Steveston Exchange UBC Exchange White Rock Centre General Coast Mountain Bus Company Trolley buses in Vancouver West Vancouver Municipal Transit Former B-Line 97 B-Line 98 B-Line Exchanges Airport Station Matthews Exchange
Miscellaneous Cycling BC Parkway Central Valley Greenway Fares Compass card U-Pass BC Other Metro Vancouver Transit Police Surrey LRT
Stations ordered inbound → outbound ■■■■■■■ indicate connections Future stations or routes italicized

• RapidBus (TransLink)
• 2020 establishments in British Columbia