11 places where buses can't even in Metro Vancouver snow

Vancouver can shut down at the slightest bit of snow. One of the first things to go is the buses. It’s not unusual for the buses to have a hard time dealing with the ice and snow.

Remember back in 2020 when commuters had to get out and push a bus up the hill?

We reached out to TransLink to learn more about which buses are particularly affected by the snow.

Can you share any routes you know are more challenging in the snow?

“The places that are most difficult for buses to navigate in the snow are routes with hills and persistent powdery snow. Some of these places include Burnaby Mountain, the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, and UBC. For routes serving these places last night, we added tire socks on bus tires to give them extra traction.”

Are there any intersections or roads that are particularly challenging for bus drivers?

“There were places throughout the region last night that were challenging for buses. For major inter-city routes, buses were stuck in traffic due to closures or congestion on the Alex Fraser Bridge, the Port Mann Bridge, Highway 91, Westminster Highway, and the Steveston Overpass.”

Buses in the snow

Using the Daily Hive editorial team’s cumulative knowledge of commuting in the snow for years, combined with comments from the public, we’ve determined the worst places to have to take the bus in the snow in Metro Vancouver.

Granville Street Bridge

If you are wondering where all the buses are. pic.twitter.com/iGVxa2b4On

— Mike McDonald (@BCMikeMcD) January 15, 2020

South Granville Street. One Facebook commenter, in particular, called out the articulated 10 Granville bus as always failing.

UBC

A few accidents at #ubc. The #84 bus is stuck on the hill. pic.twitter.com/tNOQlWrF7O

— Mark Atomos Pilon (@Atomos) November 30, 2022

Every major route to the UBC campus is tough for the buses, from 10th Avenue west of Alma Street to 16th Avenue and Chancellor Boulevard. In the past, TransLink’s snow plans for UBC include replacing articulated buses with regular 40-ft conventional buses because they’re more agile on steep and slippery areas.

Main Street

3rd bus we saw stuck this morning in less than 10 Km… just on Main St. Maybe BC Translink should rethink their “no snow tires” rule because it’s clearly not working. #BCSnow #Vancouversnow pic.twitter.com/ric0G3JmuA

— Ms Ong (@ms_ong007) November 30, 2022

For reasons unknown, you’re better off walking on Main Street than waiting for a bus. Maybe they can’t make it up the hill from Terminal Avenue to Broadway, maybe there’s a mysterious vortex that eats up buses in the snow. Either way, better to have alternative plans than assume to catch a bus on Main.

Oak Street

In Marpole, Oak Street and 70th Avenue are where the buses seem to pile up.

Fraser and Kingsway

Last night's drive home at 630pm 1)12 & Cambie – VGH hospital route
2) 16 & Main
3) 49 between Main & Fraser double bus stuck
4) Marine & Kerr S barricades up people ignore -Kerr N – so many 🚗#BCSnow #Vancouver #BCStorm #ShareYourWeather #Autumn #Winteriscoming pic.twitter.com/OdnR9Y55St

— Michelle Valancius (@howyougo) November 30, 2022

Kingsway is a unique street in Vancouver, cutting through the rest of the boxy grid on a diagonal. Once it meets Fraser Street, things start to go a little funky for the buses here.

Davie and Denman

“Buses can’t get up the hill,” one commenter told Daily Hive. “We all end up walking to the top, and people congregate there, waiting for the bus to fly up. The rest of us keep walking trying to flag a cab as they go by with their lights off.”

Royal Oak Avenue to Marine Drive

“Watch out for Royal Oak to Marine Drive once it snows. It’s very steep. No way to stop once you head down,” a commenter told Daily Hive.

Rupert Street

A commenter told Daily Hive that the Rupert Street hill in Vancouver is notorious for buses.

SFU

We're all in this together! Transit riders got out of the R5 Hastings to push the jackknifed articulated bus (good luck) on Hastings at Boundary. Photo from a reader. #TransLink #Vancouver #VancouverSnow #bcstorm pic.twitter.com/MGXSr2Ktff

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) January 15, 2020

Simon Fraser University being on a mountain makes it challenging for the buses to adapt to the snow. It’s part of the reason why it’s planning a gondola. The 145 from Production Way Station to SFU Burnaby, in particular, can be unreliable in the snow, plus the R5 from Boundary Road to Hastings Street can be dicey.

Lonsdale below 3rd Street and upper Lonsdale

Lonsdale is basically one giant steep hill, so it’s no wonder that in North Vancouver the buses struggle in this neighbourhood.

Eighth and Carnarvon streets in New Westminster

This woman was an absolute hero in #NewWest last night. This corner by New West Station was the definition of shit show. pic.twitter.com/ooCOtMo6Mp

— Amir Ali ⌨️☕️🏴‍☠️ (@AmirsDoingItAll) November 30, 2022

Things got so bad during recent snow that a good samaritan stepped in as an unofficial traffic controller. Also, in New Westminster, commenters described McBride at Tenth Avenue as a trouble spot for buses.

With files from Daily Hive Staff

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Which Metro Vancouver spots tripped up your bus in the recent snowstorm? Let us know in the comments.

This story was initially published in 2022 and has been updated.