TransLink PrideBus ‘Reconnects’ Metro Vancouver
Pride-themed bus features artwork from local artist Joe Average
NEW WESTMINSTER, BC – Metro Vancouver streets will once again enjoy some fabulous flair as TransLink’s PrideBus returns for the upcoming Vancouver Pride Festival. This year’s bus wrap artwork is designed by distinguished local artist Joe Average and is in service from today until the end of August.
TransLink employees, joined by Joe Average, will be marching in the 45th annual Vancouver Pride Parade on Sunday, August 6 to celebrate and support the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. The team will also be handing out Pride-themed TransLink swag and postcard artwork from Joe throughout the parade route.
“We are excited to join this important event celebrating our city’s wonderful diversity,” says TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “We encourage everyone to ride with pride and take transit to and from the Pride Festival.”
The theme for this year’s Pride Festival is Reconnect, symbolizing Vancouver Pride Society’s commitment to amplify marginalized voices and reconnect Pride to the community.
In celebration of Pride, Joe Average has created a one-of-a-kind bus wrap featuring his iconic piece, Bee Line. “I’m that one bee that’s always going in the other direction of the masses,” says Joe. After being diagnosed with HIV in 1984 at age 27, Joe decided to commit the rest of his life to art, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honours, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Outstanding Community Achievement, and the Order of British Columbia. In 1991, after designing Canada's first AIDS Awareness Week Poster, Joe was invited by the Governor General as one of 50 Canadians to a luncheon with Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Rideau Hall. Joe frequently donates his time and work to charitable causes and lives in Vancouver.
TransLink will increase Expo and Millennium Line service between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the Pride Parade on August 6. Downtown bus service will be rerouted for the Pride Parade due to street closures on Denman, Davie, Pacific, and Beach Ave. As a result, there will be limited service to the west side of downtown Vancouver and customers should plan for extra travel time.
Customers are encouraged to consult our Trip Planner, sign up for transit alerts at translink.ca/alerts, and follow us on Twitter @TransLink for the latest information on their bus route.
More information:
Trip Planner
Transit Alerts
Joe Average's website
Media downloads:
Photos of the 2023 PrideBus
Media contact:
TransLink Media Relations
E: media@translink.ca