Free rides on vintage trolley bus in downtown Vancouver tomorrow
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Metro Vancouver’s trolley bus network, TransLink and the Transit Museum Society will be offering free rides on a preserved vintage trolley bus in downtown Vancouver.
This particular Brill trolley bus was amongst the first to drive on Vancouver’s streets.
The historic trolley bus tours will happen about every 20 minutes between 9 am and 4 pm on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, with passengers boarding and disembarking across from the main entrance into Waterfront Station on West Cordova Street.
- You might also like:
- TransLink is releasing Compass Card shaped like vintage trolley bus (PHOTOS)
- Miniature madness: Massive lineups at Waterfront Station for TransLink mini-train (PHOTOS)
- Inside TransLink's new Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station (PHOTOS)
The availability of free rides is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.
The first trolley buses that entered service starting in 1948 replaced the region’s streetcars.
A vintage trolley bus at TransLink’s Vancouver Transit Centre. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
A preserved Brill trolley bus that will be in use for Wednesday’s tours carries the distinctive BC Hydro branding for its exterior because the province’s electric utility previously operated the trolley bus network.
BC Hydro and its predecessor, BC Electric Company, were responsible for the trolley buses between 1948 and 1973 until BC Transit took over. TransLink then took over BC Transit’s operations in Metro Vancouver in 1999.
A vintage trolley bus at TransLink’s Vancouver Transit Centre. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
A vintage trolley bus at TransLink’s Vancouver Transit Centre. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
TransLink’s trolley bus network now has a network size of over 300 km within Vancouver and western Burnaby, using a fleet of 262 trolley buses acquired in the 2000s — replacing a previous generation of trolley bus that replaced the Brill.
On Wednesday, coinciding with the free vintage bus rides, TransLink will also be releasing a limited edition Compass Card shaped after a mini-trolley bus as a keychain.
There will be a total of 5,000 mini-trolley Compass Cards, which will light up when tapped — just like last year’s mini-SkyTrain version. They will be available for purchase at TransLink’s Customer Service Centre inside Waterfront Station.
Mini-trolley bus Compass Card (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Follow Channels and Categories