The number of buses that report leaving people behind is on track to be its highest ever this year, meaning more commuters are facing false starts in the morning.
Numbers provided by TransLink to CTV News show a more than 50 per cent increase in bus pass-ups in the past five years, a consequence of surging ridership and delayed investments in infrastructure like the long-promised Broadway subway.
“What can you do?” asked Eric Nellis, who was only one person away from boarding a 99 B-Line at Broadway and Commercial Drive. “It’s every day. They can’t put any more buses on this route. It’s back to back already. It’s clogged.”
Every time a bus leaves someone behind, bus drivers press a button that logs the incident. In 2010, bus drivers pressed that button 211,184 times.
In 2011, after the Canada Line opened, that number actually dropped to 199,743. But in subsequent years that number increased again, to 259,994 in 2012, and 317,276 in 2013.
As TransLink was pressed to reorganize its routes for efficiency, bus pass-ups dropped in 2014, to 297,217. But that improvement was short-lived: last year, the number rose again to 313,744, and this year it was at 214,080 in August – putting it on track to be around the 320,000 mark by the end of the year.
Four of the five most crowded routes travel east and west through Vancouver: the 49, which heads from Metrotown to UBC; the 41, which heads from Joyce Station to UBC; the 25, which heads from Brentwood Town Centre to UBC; and the 99 B-Line, which goes along Broadway from Commercial Drive to UBC.
As more people move to Metro Vancouver, more people are taking the bus. Ridership has jumped 2.8 per cent across the system since last year, or about 6.6 million rides.
But the new people are flocking to routes that were already the busiest and best serviced in the city. For example, the 49 ridership jumped 20 per cent in the last five years – that’s 1.2 million rides this year that TransLink didn’t have to account for in 2011.
“We have seen an increase in ridership. We do know there are some really busy bus routes out there. It can be frustrating for our passengers when they’re standing in the rain. We do have measures in place to help alleviate some congestion,” TransLink’s Jennifer Moreland said.
The agency is hoping to put more buses on those routes, planning for 171 new buses by 2018.
TransLink has put so many buses on the 99 B-Line route already it says the road itself is at capacity. A bus comes every three minutes.
“Ultimately we are at a place where we do need more resources,” said Moreland.
TransLink relies on other levels of government to get capital funding for its projects. A Broadway subway line was first promised in 2008, when then-premier Gordon Campbell promised it would reach UBC as part of a $14 billion investment in transit.
“We have the resources in place to set this plan in motion,” Campbell said at the time.
Campbell’s successor, Premier Christy Clark, demanded the region vote on a sales tax to fund a shorter subway to Arbutus Street. The referendum was soundly defeated.
The whole idea of voting for infrastructure was deeply flawed, said the NDP’s transit critic David Eby.
“I have no idea why the government thought it was a good idea to put this up to a referendum. We need that transit,” Eby said. “In the meantime, people are trying to get to work and to school. They’re taking cars or they’re just not getting there.”
The new subway line is so far behind we should already be having discussions on where we should be building transit after the Broadway Line is built.
Justin Trudeau’s federal Liberal government has promised funding for transit projects, but it’s hinging on whether the province and municipal governments can match its contribution. A short-term compromise – “phase one funding” – has meant purchasing new SkyTrain cars, operating a new SeaBus, and money to design the Broadway subway, but not to build it.
In the meantime, TransLink is scrambling to keep up with the demand, changing routes and resources four times a year.
Some of the 171 new buses should show up on the streets as early as spring of next year, and TransLink is even refusing to retire old buses, hoping to lengthen those buses’ lives with more maintenance.
People CTV News spoke with at the bus stop were optimistic things could get better.
“If it can be improved, that’s good. That’s great,” said one rider.
The four routes with the most recorded pass-ups all travel east-west through Vancouver, and all end at UBC. The 99, 25, 49, and 41 together carry about 130,000 people – more than the Canada Line’s daily ridership of about 120,000 passengers.
99 WB at Cambie Leave Load: This bus goes west along Broadway to UBC. It’s over capacity from about 7:15 a.m. to about 9:30 a.m., about 2.25 hours. The bus goes every three minutes, so those left behind don’t have to wait long. There is no strategy to avoid a crowded bus at this stop in the morning. However if you don’t have to travel in the morning, avoid crowds by taking the bus after 9:30.
99 WB at Commercial Leave Load: The same bus route shows it is over capacity at the stop on Commercial drive between 6:27 a.m. and 9:34 a.m., but some times are busier than others. Those willing to wait a few minutes and take buses that don't coincide with SkyTrain arrivals, for example taking the bus at 9:05 a.m. instead of 9:08, will have a better chance of getting a seat.
25 WB at Cambie Leave Load: This bus goes west along King Edward Avenue to UBC. It’s over capacity between about 7:10 a.m. and 8 a.m. It’s getting new riders from the Canada Line at this station, so it’s the most full after a train lets out. That means that the next bus won’t be as crowded.
240 WB Marine Drive at Philip Leave Load: This bus goes along Marine Drive in North Vancouver, across the Lions Gate Bridge, to downtown Vancouver. This bus is slightly over capacity between 7:20 a.m. and 8:51 a.m. However, the odds of the bus being full drop substantially after 8 a.m. If you can delay your morning start, it might be worth it.
