TransLink outlines plans for new R6 Scott Road RapidBus
Metro Vancouver’s public transit authority is in the process of drafting plans for the region’s sixth RapidBus route.
In a presentation to Delta City Council this week, TransLink staff stated the R6 Scott Road RapidBusĀ will run along Scott Road, 120 Street and 72nd Avenue connecting the Expo Line’s Scott Road Station and the Scottsdale and Newton bus exchanges.
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The R6 will follow the same route of the existing No. 319Ā Scott Station/Newton Exchange/Scottsdale, which will remain as a local service with reduced frequency.
With 23,000 daily passengers during normalcy, the public transit authority has indicated there is proven demand for a supplementary high-capacity, high-frequency, express bus route.
Proposed route of the R6 Scott Road RapidBus route. (TransLink)
It is the region’s second-fastest-growing bus route for ridership, with annual boardings growing from 4.27 million in 2015 to 7.47 million in 2019. It is the region’s seventh busiest bus route, and there is projected growth along the corridor due to future higher-density development.
A total of 13 stops are planned along the 12-km-long route, with travel times targeted at 38 minutes or better during the southbound direction in the afternoon peak period.
Proposed bus priority measures will save at least seven minutes per direction for travel times. This includes the possibility of road space reallocation for bus lanes, turn restrictions, in-lane bus stops, and queue jumpers.
As the route runs along 120 Street, which is the dividing line between Delta and Surrey, both municipal governments are involved and need to provide final approval to the route and design.
Planning and design are occurring from now through Summer 2022, with construction on street changes slated between Fall 2022 and Summer 2023. TransLink is aiming to launch the service in September 2023.
RapidBus bus stop sign. (TransLink)
The R6 is one of two new additional RapidBus routes planned by TransLink, originally for a launch in 2021, but this service expansion is delayed due to COVID-19.
As outlined by the Mayors’ Council’s Phase Two expansion plan, the other new RapidBus route is between the Canada Line’s Richmond-Brighouse Station and the Expo Line’s Metrotown Station via the Knight Street Bridge. The recently opened new bus exchange for Richmond-Brighouse Station is intended to accommodate this new RapidBus service.
Future RapidBus routes under the Phase Three plan could entail:
- Lions Gate RapidBus:Ā from downtown Vancouver to North Vancouverās Lynn Valley neighbourhood via the Lions Gate Bridge
- Commercial-Victoria Drive RapidBus:Ā from downtown Vancouver to Marine Drive in South Vancouver via Hasting Street, Commercial Drive, and Victoria Drive
- Ironworkers-Willingdon RapidBus:Ā from Phibbs Exchange to the Millennium Lineās Brentwood Station and Expo Lineās Metrotown Station via the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Willingdon Avenue
- White Rock RapidBus: from Newton Exchange to White Rock via King George Boulevard
- Coquitlam-Langley RapidBus:Ā from the Millennium Lineās Coquitlam Central Station to Langley Centre via Lougheed Highway, Golden Ears Bridge, and 200 Street
Earlier this year, TransLink launched the region’s first five RapidBus routes, including the conversion of two B-Line routes.
In 2025, coinciding with the opening of the Millennium Line Broadway Extension, the existing 99 B-Line is expected to be rebranded as a RapidBus, with the route truncated between UBC and the new Arbutus Station bus exchange.
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