TransLink changes bus schedule after rider complaints about timing

A Vancouver transit user was able to get TransLink to change the schedule on a popular bus route.

If you’ve ever had to rush off of a vehicle to make it in time to hop aboard a connecting route, you’ll know exactly why he was so keen on asking for this change to occur.

The transit user who wishes to remain anonymous initially shared their bus woes on Reddit Vancouver before someone suggested submitting a schedule change request to TransLink.

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“I don’t always make it.”

TransLink has a customer feedback form that some users have used to request schedule changes.

The issue in this particular case was that the anonymous transit user would often disembark from the SeaBus at Londsdale Quay to catch the 228 Lynn Valley bus that originally departed at 5:19 pm. This was only one minute after the SeaBus arrived at the Quay, leaving almost no time for users to catch the 228.

“This makes catching that connection very difficult. I have to run like heck from the SeaBus and I don’t always make it, leaving me standing there another 15 minutes,” they wrote in the original post.

They aren’t alone and apparently, hordes of people would often try and catch the connecting bus.

They also wrote that it was “very driver dependent.”

Unwritten rules

“Sometimes the driver recognizes the SeaBus passengers coming off and he’ll delay his departure until 5:21 or 5:22 pm. But, I’ve seen plenty of drivers pull away on time leaving a bunch of angry people waving their arms in frustration.”

A driver commented on the Reddit thread about how bus drivers are supposed to handle this situation.

“As a driver, we are actually supposed to wait for the SeaBus passengers before we leave Londsdale Quay. It’s a bit of an unwritten rule. Except the R2 because of its frequency.”

You could imagine the relief the transit user felt when the transit user saw the following TransLink alert:

TransLink

“We have adjusted the 228 trip to depart Lonsdale Quay at 5:21 to allow more time for you to meet that connection. We hope that this will make your commute more reliable and effective,” said TransLink in an email shared by the transit user.

Not all heroes wear capes, some just fill out TransLink’s feedback form.