TransLink testing new solar-powered lights atop bus stop signs | Daily Hive

Urban Solar's light fixtures installed atop at TransLink bus stop pole. (TransLink)

New creature comforts are coming to select TransLink bus stops across Metro Vancouver on a trial basis to improve visibility and safety during the dark hours.

The public transit authority announced today it is conducting a pilot project of testing the use of solar-powered lights mounted atop the poles of bus stop signs, specifically at bus stops with higher ridership and where there is an identified need for improved nighttime lighting. This will improve visibility for both bus drivers and waiting passengers.

Passengers waiting at a bus stop can turn on the light with the push of a button located on the bus stop pole.

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Urban Solar’s proposal was one of two submissions selected in TransLink’s 2024 Open Call for Innovation, which is an annual program that invites businesses and organizations to propose creative ideas for new technologies that could improve the experience for passengers. For the 2024 call, TransLink received a total of 24 submissions.

The other submission selected in 2024 is by Hayden AI, which proposed the use of automated bus lane enforcement technology. TransLink is still in the process of considering the feasibility of testing this idea.

“This initiative is part of our commitment to improve the customer experience through innovation,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in a statement.

“We’ve heard from riders that lighting makes a big difference at bus stops, and this pilot will help us explore how solar technology can make waiting for the bus safer and more comfortable.”

Urban Solar’s light fixtures installed atop at TransLink bus stop pole. (TransLink)

Input gathered from bus drivers and passengers during the pilot project will determine whether the new lighting fixtures will be expanded to more bus stops in the future.

So far, TransLink has installed the nighttime lighting at nine locations, and the remaining five will be installed over the coming weeks.

Here is the complete list of all 14 bus stops under the pilot project:

Burnaby — Willingdon Avenue at Canada Way: No. 25, No. 130
Langley City — Fraser Highway at 196a Street: No. 501, No. 502, No. 503
Delta — Highway 17 at Tsawwassen Drive: No. 620
Delta — 72nd Avenue and Scott Road: No. 312, No. 316, No. 391
North Vancouver City — West 15th Street at Lonsdale Avenue: No. 240, No. 241
North Vancouver City — East 15th Street at Lonsdale Avenue: No. 240, No. 255, No. 881
North Vancouver District — Dollarton Highway at 3100 block: No. 212
Surrey — Scott Road at 80th Avenue: No. 301, No. 319
Surrey — 128th Street at 96th Avenue: No. 323, No. 393
Surrey — 156th Street at 104th Avenue: No. 326, No. 335
Tsawwassen First Nation — 52nd Street at Canoe Pass Way: No. 601, No. 609
West Vancouver — Keith Road at Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal: No. 257
White Rock — Marine Drive at Stevens Street: No. 354, No. 361
White Rock — Thrift Avenue at Johnston Road: No. 321, No. 345

A very high proportion of Metro Vancouver’s bus stops used by TransLink services are not equipped with a bus shelter to improve passenger comfort during inclement weather. However, such street furniture is the responsibility of municipal governments, not the public transit authority.

Past selected submissions in TransLink’s Open Call for Innovation include shared mobility platforms, shared smart lockers at public transit hubs, technology that captures energy from the braking of SkyTrain and trolley bus vehicles, and artificial intelligence to improve predictive fleet maintenance.

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