TransLink working on reducing bus delays

TransLink says it is looking to cut down on delays transit users face when taking the bus, by reducing the amount of time buses spend stuck in traffic.

During a meeting of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, Steven Newhouse, the manager of bus speed and reliability, says it’s important to decrease the amount of time buses are delayed.

“Less than 25 per cent of the frequent transit network has any form of bus priority. Only about 7 per cent of the frequent transit network has all-day bus priority infrastructure. So in other words, transit customers may be delayed by traffic on about 700 kilometers of the network during some, or all, of the day,” he explained.

TransLink recently released its Bus Speed and Reliability Report, which looks at how the bus system is functioning and what areas need improvement.

“Getting people to take transit instead of driving means making transit as convenient and reliable as possible,” TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said in a news release.

“We look forward to continuing to invest in bus speed improvements so we can make transit the most convenient travel option in the region.”

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The transit service says $40 million has already been invested in improvements since 2019, but the report highlights that more needs to be done.

TransLink notes that more than 60 per cent of transit customers ride buses in the region.

“When buses are slowed by traffic, it has real impacts on the lives of our customers. These delays also cost TransLink over $80 million per year, simply to maintain bus frequencies,” the transportation authority notes.

Michael McDaniel, the president and general manager of the Coast Mountain Bus Company, says in the report that steps like having bus lanes, queue jumps, bus bulbs, and signal improvements can all help.

“These efficiency improvements allow us to provide additional service at the same cost and help us save for the future,” he said.

“When buses are protected from rising congestion, we can make more durable improvements in bus service, and most importantly, ensure that employees and customers have more certainty in knowing how long each transit journey will take.”

Newhouse says TransLink will work with municipalities to expand bus priority and increase funding for bus priority projects, although it’s not clear what this will look like yet.