Planning a trip to your favourite summer destination?
Good news: you may be able to leave your vehicle at home and avoid potential parking clusters by taking the bus.
TransLink announced it's beefing up its bus service to several Metro Vancouver parks and beaches starting June 27.
In two weeks, the authority says more buses are set to help residents get to and from places like Stanley Park (Vancouver) and Buntzen Lake (Anmore) by increasing the frequency of 11 popular routes throughout the week.
"Parking can be hard to find near many of these destinations; providing bus service helps with this problem," TransLink's latest update reads today (June 13), noting some will see minimal wait times between arriving and departing buses, while others are set to see a doubling of services during the week.
"TransLink adjusts service every three months based on ridership trends to ensure that service is delivered where it’s needed most."
This marks an upgrade to services TransLink already implemented in the spring when the weather began to warm up.
English Bay Beach, Vanier Park, Kitsilano Beach, Lions Bay and Belcarra Regional Park are among other destinations also set to receive increased bus services for the season.
For more information, you're encouraged to visit the service changes page on TransLink's website.
Notable adjustments include:
Route 19
- Between Metrotown Station and Stanley Park
- Every five minutes during peak hours instead of every nine to 12 minutes
Route 150
- Between Coquitlam Central Station and White Pine Beach
- Frequencies doubling; every 30 minutes on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Route 179
- Between Coquitlam Central Station and Buntzen Lake
- Service doubling to Buntzen Lake on weekends; every 30 minutes between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Canada Day transit alert
As a heads-up, TransLink adds all of its Metro Vancouver services — except for the West Coast Express — will run on a Sunday/holiday schedule for Canada's 155th birthday.
This applies to SkyTrain, bus and SeaBus routes on July 1, with a return to normal operations on July 2.
And a one-zone fare will also be in effect on Canada Day, which is also when TransLink's fare increase will take effect.
One-zone travel will cost $3.10 for adults and $2.05 for children — a increase of five cents each and part of an average 2.3 per cent hike.
Surrey services permanently upgraded
As well, TransLink says it's adding more services along three major routes in Surrey.
In order to meet demand, the authority explains the following changes will now be permanent for local transit riders in what is considered to be B.C.'s largest growing region in the province:
Route 323
- Newton Exchange/Surrey Central Station
- Frequencies to increase between two and five minutes, seven days a week
Route 324
- Newton Exchange/Surrey Central Station
- First trip from Newton Exchange to start 10 minutes earlier on Saturday mornings
Route 342
- Langley Centre/Newton Exchange
- First trip from Newton Exchange will start 14 minutes earlier on Saturday mornings
