TransLink has launched the R6 Scott Road RapidBus, which will provide faster and more frequent bus service for Surrey and Delta B.C., residents, as well as Kwantlen Polytechnic University students. The R6 will provide space for 20 percent more riders on the busiest bus corridor south of the Fraser River.
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.
The R6 is TransLink’s largest service expansion since 2020 and is the sixth RapidBus throughout Metro Vancouver. It features:
- Fewer stops and all-door boarding
- Articulated buses with more capacity
- Bus priority lanes along the corridor to keep buses separated from congestion
- A center-median bus boarding area at Scott Road and 72nd Ave. to speed up boardings and bus travel times
- Improved bus stops with live next-bus digital signage and audio information available for customers who are blind or partially-sighted
Community art has been installed throughout the corridors by three local artists, includes a mosaic for the median center-island bus boarding area, as well as bus shelter art at the stops located outside of Kwantlen Polytechnic University and at Scott Road and 72nd Ave.
Street changes have also been implemented to enhance safety, including adding new crosswalks, protected left turn lanes, signal improvements and allowance for making U-turns at selected locations.
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 7.5 minutes and the 319 will arrive every 10 minutes.
“The R6 RapidBus will save Surrey and Delta customers up to 20 minutes and provide much-needed relief on the busiest bus route south of the Fraser River. Ridership in places like Surrey and Delta is growing faster than any other part of the region and it’s essential that transit services keep up as Metro Vancouver’s population grows,” said Kevin Quinn, CEO, TransLink.
The $33 million investment was delivered jointly by TransLink, the city of Surrey and the city of Delta. It was paid for through the Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities plan, of which the government of British Columbia contributed 40 percent of all capital costs. TransLink plans to upgrade the route to bus rapid transit and will continue to alleviate overcrowding through the Access for Everyone 10-year plan, should the plan receive funding.
“The people of Surrey need a transit network that can keep up with their fast growing city. Connecting customers from Scott Road Station to Newton Exchange, this bus service will help lower wait times and get people to work, school, home and everything in between,” said British Columbia Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming.
