The second edition of TransLink’s 2023 Bus Speed and Reliability Report shows accelerated investments in bus priority measures are needed to mitigate the impacts growing traffic congestion has on bus speed and reliability.
The first edition of the report, released in February, highlighted bus delays and the reasons they occur throughout Metro Vancouver. The new report gives an overview of measures that have been taken to mitigate delays and examines the effectiveness of those measures to help inform decision-making for future investments.
“Getting people to take transit instead of driving means making transit as convenient and reliable as possible,” says TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “We look forward to continuing to invest in bus speed improvements, so we can make transit the most convenient travel option in the region.”
Since 2019, TransLink has invested C$40 million (US$30.38 million) into measures that improve bus speed and reliability. The results found that each investment has delivered on those objectives, with TransLink noting many of the improvements have paid for themselves through improved bus service operations. Some measures improved bus speed by up to 35 percent.
Some examples of bus speed and reliability improvements include:
- New RapidBus services
- Bus lanes, approach lanes and queue jumps
- Balancing distances between bus stops
- Turn restrictions
- Signal improvements and upgrades
Despite the C$40 million (US$30.38 million) investment into bus priority since 2019, TransLink says more work needs to be done, as bus delays have now returned to pre-pandemic levels due to buses getting stuck in growing traffic congestion.
The results from this report will be used to inform decision-making for TransLink’s next Investment Plan update, which is anticipated in 2024. TransLink will continue working with government partners to fund, plan and execute the improvements.
