Transit-signal priority, cleanliness, safety, and digital tools in TransLink's new plan | Daily Hive

Transit-signal priority, cleanliness, safety, and digital upgrades in TransLink's new customer service action plan

2025-opened public washroom at SkyTrain's Metrotown Station. (Kenneth Chan)

Public transit in Metro Vancouver is set for another round of customer-focused improvements, as TransLink this week unveiled a new five-year plan extending through 2030 aimed at enhancing the passenger experience across its network.

Launching this year, the new Customer Experience Action Plan outlines roughly three dozen specific projects and broad strategies designed to make public transit more reliable, easier to use, safer, and more comfortable. The plan places travel time, safety, and everyday rider needs at the centre of decision-making.

The strategy builds on TransLink’s earlier customer-focused action plans, the first of which was introduced in 2019.

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Several initiatives are already underway and have been carried forward from previous plans. These include the introduction of new public washrooms at key SkyTrain stations and major transit hubs, with the first new washroom under the strategy opening in 2025 at Metrotown Station.

The plan also continues the rollout of passenger amenities such as vending machines, battery lockers, and device-charging stations at SkyTrain stations and bus exchanges.

Cleanliness efforts will expand as well. TransLink plans to extend its cleaning and maintenance text message reporting hotline to more SkyTrain stations, bus loops, and exchanges. This will allow riders to report issues directly and enable faster response times.

Passenger communications and information systems will see further upgrades, including improvements to digital alerts, web platforms, trip-planning apps, and ongoing enhancements to NextBus and scheduling systems. New hardware and backend technology will support more accurate real-time transit predictions and timely service alerts. In addition, standardized physical wayfinding signage across the transit network will be improved.

Safety and security remain a key focus. Planned initiatives include coordinated efforts to ensure stations, terminals, and exchanges feel clean, secure, and well supported. Riders can expect increased visibility of Transit Security and Transit Police, expanded Transit Police offices, enhanced safety and passenger etiquette campaigns, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) audits at SkyTrain stations, and strengthened fare-payment compliance measures.

Operational improvements are also part of the plan. New procedures will help TransLink respond more effectively to major events, emergencies, and unexpected service disruptions, with the goal of minimizing confusion and keeping the system running smoothly during high-stress situations. New monitoring technology will track the condition and performance of buses to reduce delays caused by vehicle breakdowns.

Bus service will see further efforts to improve operating speeds, travel times, and reliability, including expanded bus-priority measures. A study planned for 2026-2027 will examine the most effective technologies for transit signal priority at intersections.

Among the plan’s notable new initiatives is the refurbishment of Canada Line trains. These upgrades will extend the trains’ lifespan and improve ride quality.

Refurbishments are already underway for the West Coast Express locomotives and passenger cars. SeaBus terminals will also receive upgrades to improve passenger flow, comfort, and convenience, including the replacement of aging equipment, loading bay doors, emergency exit ramps, and ventilation systems at the south terminal.

Many items in the action plan are already well known and tied to larger, ongoing projects. These include SkyTrain extensions currently under construction, the region’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, RapidBus route enhancements, general bus service expansion, major HandyDART improvements, the introduction of next-generation Mark V SkyTrain vehicles, new buses (including a new replacement trolley bus fleet), continued elevator and escalator replacements, and major upgrade projects at additional existing SkyTrain stations.

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, TransLink is also planning a major overhaul of the Compass fare payment system. This includes new fare gates and expanded payment options, with potential changes such as distance-based pricing on SkyTrain and SeaBus, digital Compass Cards on smartphones, a new fare payment app, and incentives for frequent riders. The Compass system upgrade is expected to cost more than $500 million.

Meanwhile, construction continues on a new $330-million, state-of-the-art SkyTrain control centre located next to the Edmonds operations, maintenance, and storage facility. Scheduled for completion in 2026, the control centre facility will improve reliability on the Expo and Millennium lines, support the Broadway and Surrey-Langley extensions, and future-proof operations for long-term network expansion.

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