Managing the Transit Network

Maximizing ridership involves meeting existing demand for transit service. Services designed to build ridership tend to target areas that have many people working or living in proximity, such as a downtown core, an urban centre, or along a well-developed corridor.

We maximize ridership by:

1. Providing reliable and predictable service.

2. Providing more and/or better service where there is already high ridership or overcrowding.

3. Providing service where there is anticipated to be high ridership, typically where there is some mix of:

• higher residential or commercial density

• major activity centres

• pedestrian networks that make walking easy and pleasant

• measures that discourage driving, such as limited or expensive parking

4. Using existing transit infrastructure as efficiently as possible, such as transit priority measures, rapid transit lines, and bus exchanges.

5. Improving the way people make transit connections so they can reach more destinations in less time.

Encouraging long-term ridership growth involves building capacity to meet future demand for transit service. We make long-term strategic investments that will gradually grow ridership by supporting transit-oriented development.

We encourage long-term ridership growth by:

1. Providing transit service to major new development areas where we expect strong ridership growth.

2. Providing frequent, all-day service along key corridors to encourage development of communities whose design makes good use of transit resources.

3. Informing developers and municipalities about the likely service and mobility outcomes of various land use and development options.

4. Limiting service expansion in areas where transit services are unlikely to be efficient or productive, such as remote or hard to serve areas, or where population is unlikely to grow.

Providing access to transit service across the region involves maximizing the transit network coverage and ensuring a basic level of service is available to most people for most kinds of trips. Part of our mandate is to serve the needs of people who depend on transit due to age, disability, or other limitations. Given limited financial resources, we must make difficult decisions about how to meet our mandate, while also providing service where demand is greatest, and we can expect high ridership. In some places, we simply can’t provide public transit in a reasonably efficient way. Instead, people in these areas may have to rely on other modes of transportation.

TransLink provides access to transit service across the region by:

1. Providing basic, low-frequency transit service in areas of lower density where possible.

2. Ensuring our services are fully accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

Thank you to those who participated in our survey about proposed changes to Steveston Bus Exchange. If you have any questions please email the project team at publicengagement@translink.ca.

In Feb. 2024, TransLink requested public input on proposed changes to the Steveston Bus Exchange that would reduce congestion on local streets, make bus turnarounds more efficient, and better serve customers and the community. This proposal was in direct response to concerns raised by the community about the current bus circulation and bus layover locations in Steveston Village.

The Steveston Exchange public engagement took place from Feb. 12 to March 1, 2024. We'll update this page in the coming months to share our findings. Thank you to everyone that participated!

Proposed Changes

We are proposing changes to bus circulation, relocation of bus layovers, on-street infrastructure upgrades, and enhanced bus shelters that will improve the customer experience and ensure local businesses are visible and accessible.

The proposed changes will allow for more efficient bus operations, improve the customer experience, and reduce impacts for residents and adjacent businesses. Here is a summary of the changes:

• Moving all bus layover locations to the south side of Chatham Street between Fourth Avenue and Sixth Avenue to reduce congestion in front of businesses,

• Consolidated bus drop-off and pick-up stops along Chatham Street at Second Avenue to ensure local businesses are visible and accessible,

• Changes to make bus turnarounds more efficient and provide more direct service to and from the Steveston Village core,

• Bus traffic reduced in the residential neighbourhood along Fourth Avenue, and

• Enhanced bus shelters.

Current Bus Routing & Exchange

Currently there is no dedicated off-street bus exchange or turnaround, which results in inefficient, and costly bus circulation and impacts local residents along Fourth Ave. Bus layover currently occurs in front of retail businesses on Chatham St.

Existing bus routing through Steveston Village

Existing bus stop and layover locations

Proposed Bus Routing & Exchange

The proposed routing through Steveston Village improves bus circulation and reduces bus traffic along the residential section of Fourth Ave. As part of the proposed changes, we’re working with the City of Richmond to consider pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements near Garry Point Park.

Proposed bus routing through Steveston Village

Proposed bus stop and layover locations

Proposed bus stop and layover locations - details

• Seventh Ave. Bus Bay A Map

• Chatham St. Bus Bays B and C and Drivers’ Facility

• Chatham St. Bus Bays D and E

The current layout of the Steveston Bus Exchange includes layovers in front of several local businesses. Over the past several years, TransLink and the City of Richmond have collaborated on plans to improve the Steveston Bus Exchange and mitigate ongoing concerns from Steveston Village residents and businesses. We are working towards moving to an off-street bus exchange and are continuing to monitor the availability of potential properties in the area.

Thank you to those who participated in our survey about proposed changes to Route 23 Main St Station/English Bay. If you have any questions please email the project team at publicengagement@translink.ca.

Thank you to those who participated in our survey about the alternative routes to Route 32. If you have any questions please email the project team at publicengagement@translink.ca.

Route 32 was suspended in early 2020 to reallocate service to busier routes that required more space for social distancing during COVID-19. The decision was made because ridership was low on this route, there were alternative routes with available capacity for customers, and resources were more in need on other routes with higher ridership. The 32 remains suspended to better allocate resources to the routes that need them most.

If you previously rode the 32, we want to better understand how the alternatives (Routes 2 and 7) are working for you and if your journey could be improved.

Thank you to those who participated in our survey about proposed changes to Route 531 White Rock Centre / Willowbrook. If you have any questions please email the project team at publicengagement@translink.ca.

Stakeholders in the Campbell Heights neighbourhood, including the local business community and individual businesses, have identified areas for improvement on Route 531 White Rock Centre / Willowbrook.

Proposed Changes

• Change the current 531 routing to increase the number of stops within a reasonable walking distance to local businesses.

• Proposed new routing:

• Northbound: 192nd Street to 36th Ave then travel east along 36th Ave to 200th St, then continue north along 200th St and resume regular routing.

• Southbound: 200th Street to 36th Ave then travel west along 36th Ave to 192nd, then continue south along 192nd and resume regular routing.  

• To support this routing change, six bus stops would be relocated and two bus stops would be moved closer to their existing intersection.

• Proposed stop locations are for illustrative purposes and are subject to change as part of the detailed design process

The Mobility Pricing Independent Commission was a group of 14 Metro Vancouver representatives from a variety of organization across the region. They were selected and tasked by the TransLink Board of Directors and the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation to evaluate and make recommendations on how to develop and implement a regional road usage charging policy and system, and assess the implications for pricing of other types of transport and mobility.

Between July 2017 and May 2018, the Mobility Pricing Independent Commission led the It’s Time project, an extensive research and engagement project that studied ways to reduce congestion, promote fairness, and support continued investment in transportation. This included engagement with more than 17,000 Metro Vancouver residents through:

• Online engagement;

• In-person meetings with nearly 200 stakeholders and elected officials; and

• Three workshops with a 15-member user advisory panel representative of Metro Vancouver’s diverse population and geography.

In May 2018, the Commission shared their findings with the Mayors’ Council and TransLink Board of Directors in a joint meeting. In the report a set of principles to follow were identified when designing mobility pricing in Metro Vancouver. Two concepts which were explored were also shared in the report:

• A regional congestion point charge with charge points at, or close to, some or all of the regionally important crossings, complemented by further point charges at locations within the Burrard Peninsula; and,

• A distance-based charge with two or more zones with varying charge rates throughout Metro Vancouver.

Both concepts show promising results, and they will require more analysis, including further study of the potential for decongestion charging to coordinate with transit fares and other forms of mobility pricing. The Commission is also recommending further assessment of affordability and equity impacts, an assessment of available technology for distance-based charging, and a study of impacts for business, particularly transport-intensive businesses.

• Mobility Pricing Independent Commission Final Terms of Reference

• Mobility Pricing Independent Commission: Metro Vancouver Mobility Pricing Study (Final Report)