TransLink's new R6 RapidBus route in Delta and Surrey is now Metro Vancouver's sixth busiest bus route
TransLink’s newest RapidBus route has recorded strong ridership, placing it among the busiest bus routes in Metro Vancouver.
Newly released ridership statistics by the public transit authority show the R6 Scott Road RapidBus attracted 5.246 million boardings in 2024, with averages of 15,700 boardings per weekday, 12,500 per Saturday, and 10,700 per Sunday/holiday.
With this performance, it is now TransLink’s sixth busiest bus route out of 195 bus routes across the region, and the third busiest of the seven RapidBus and B-Line routes.
The ridership on the R6 is just behind Surrey’s other RapidBus route — the R1 King George Boulevard RapidBus — which is TransLink’s seventh busiest bus route overall. In 2024, the R1 saw 5.163 million boardings, with averages of 15,400 per weekday, 12,000 per Saturday, and 10,700 per Sunday/holiday.
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Last year was the R6’s first full year of service. The R6 launched on Jan. 1, 2024, running along a 12-km-long route between SkyTrain’s Scott Road Station and Newton bus exchange via 120th Street/Scott Road — the Surrey/Delta municipal border — and 72nd Avenue.
In the process of launching the R2, TransLink retained the existing No. 319 Scott Road Station/Newton Exchange as a local bus service running along the same route.
Much of the No. 319’s ridership was transplanted onto the faster, limited-stop R6 service.
In 2023, prior to the launch of the R6, the No. 319 was TransLink’s fourth busiest bus route, with 6.833 million boardings — averaging 20,400 on weekdays, 16,300 on Saturdays, and 13,900 on Sundays/holidays. After the R6 launched in 2024, the No. 319 fell in the rankings to become the region’s 23rd busiest bus route, with a total of 3.05 million boardings — averaging 9,100 on weekdays, 7,200 on Saturdays, and 6,400 on Sundays/holidays.
Although ridership on the No. 319 declined significantly in 2024, the combined total boardings of the R6 and No. 319 represent a net gain of 1.5 million annual boardings compared to 2023, when the Scott Road/72nd Avenue corridor was served solely by the No. 319.
R6 Scott Road RapidBus. (TransLink)
R6 Scott Road RapidBus. (TransLink)
During peak hours, the end-to-end travel time on the R6 with 12 stops is roughly 35 minutes, while the end-to-end travel time on the No. 319 with 29 stops often exceeds 40 minutes.
The No. 319 is one of more than a dozen routes benefiting from the $33 million in bus priority upgrades along 120th Street/Scott Road and 72nd Avenue, made by the R2 project. These improvements include 8.8 km of bus priority lanes, four queue jumper lanes, and a centre-median bus lane and stop on Scott Road just north of the 72nd Avenue intersection.
Over the long term, the R2 could be upgraded into a higher form of rapid transit, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
Here’s how the R6 compares with other RapidBus routes and the 99 B-Line, which remains the busiest bus route in Metro Vancouver:
- 99 B-Line (Vancouver)
- 2024 annual boardings: 10.624 million
- Busiest bus route ranking: 1st out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 34,200
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 21,400
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 15,400
- R4 41st Avenue RapidBus (Vancouver):
- 2024 annual boardings: 8.803 million
- Busiest bus route ranking: 2nd out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 27,900
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 18,100
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 14,100
- R6 Scott Road RapidBus (Delta, Surrey):
- 2024 annual boardings: 5.246 million
- Busiest bus route ranking: 6th out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 15,700
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 12,500
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 10,700
- R1 King George Boulevard RapidBus (Surrey)
- 2024 annual boardings: 5.163 million
- Busiest bus route ranking: 7th out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 15,400
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 12,000
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 10,700
- R5 Hastings Street RapidBus (Vancouver, Burnaby)
- 2024 annual boardings: 4.347 million
- Busiest bus route ranking: 10th out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 13,700
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 8,900
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 7,300
- R2 Marine Drive RapidBus (West Vancouver, North Vancouver City, North Vancouver District)
- 2024 annual boardings: 1.944 million
- Bus bus route ranking: 42nd out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 5,700
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 5,000
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 4,000
- R3 Lougheed Highway RapidBus (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows)
- 2024 annual boardings: 1.07 million
- Busiest bus route ranking: 74th out of 195 bus routes
- 2024 weekday average boardings: 3,200
- 2024 Saturday average boardings: 2,700
- 2024 Sunday/holiday average boardings: 2,100
TransLink plans to extend the R2 Marine Drive RapidBus from its current eastern terminus of Phibbs bus exchange to reach Brentwood and Metrotown in Burnaby via the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, Hastings Street, and Willingdon Avenue. This route extension is planned for 2027, in advance of the R2’s possible upgrade into Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) or SkyTrain over the longer term.
BRT is an enhanced, frequent, limited-stop bus service with bus-only lanes, traffic signal priority, and other bus priority measures, as well as improved passenger amenities such as special bus shelters with real-time digital displays.
Planning is also underway for the conversion of the R2 King George Boulevard RapidBus into BRT, which would run between SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station and Semiahmoo Town Centre in South Surrey/White Rock Centre via King George Boulevard and a short segment of 152 Street. The BRT would not operate on the R2’s existing segment of 104 Avenue between Surrey Central Station and Gilmore Town Centre.
TransLink is also planning the new Langley-Haney Place BRT between SkyTrain’s future Willowbrook Station in Langley Township and Haney Place in Maple Ridge via 200 Street, Golden Ears Bridge, and a short segment of Lougheed Highway.
When SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway extension reaching Arbutus opens in Fall 2027, the 99 B-Line’s route will be truncated, with its easternmost terminus moved to Arbutus Station’s bus exchange. Until the Millennium Line is further extended west of Arbutus Station, the 99 B-Line will remain in place for the final leg to the University of British Columbia campus.
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