TransLink unveiled its new, faster bus service for the busy Delta-Surrey corridor on Tuesday.
The much-talked-about R6 Scott Road RapidBus began serving commuters on the service that is to speed up bus trips on Scott Road by up to 10 minutes in each direction, while providing up to 20 per cent more customer capacity on the busiest bus corridor in both cities.
With more than 30,000 bus passengers each weekday, the Scott Road corridor is currently the busiest bus corridor south of the Fraser River and is experiencing Metro Vancouver’s strongest ridership growth, according to TransLink.
“Surrey and Delta’s transit ridership is part of the fastest growing area in Metro Vancouver, where bus boardings are exceeding 2019 ridership levels by 16 per cent. The R6 Scott Road RapidBus will help accommodate strong demand in Metro Vancouver’s fastest growing area for transit ridership, while we continue to seek funding for the Access for Everyone plan, to substantially address overcrowding issues,” TransLink stated in a news release.
The R6 is TransLink’s largest service expansion since 2020 and is the sixth RapidBus throughout Metro Vancouver. It features, among other things, fewer stops and all-door boarding, articulated buses with more capacity, bus priority lanes along the corridor to keep buses separated from congestion and centre-median bus boarding area at Scott Road and 72 Avenue to speed up boardings and bus travel times.
Street changes have also been implemented to enhance safety, while community art has been installed throughout the corridors by three local artists.
TransLink also notes that Route 319 will continue to run alongside the R6, serving each local bus stop between Newton Exchange and Scott Road Station. The R6 will operate between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. every day of the week, and both the R6 and the 319 will maintain 15-minute service or better all day. During peak hours, the R6 will arrive every seven-and-a-half minutes and the 319 will arrive every 10 minutes.
The $33 million investment was delivered jointly by TransLink, the City of Surrey, and the City of Delta.
