|
Tell us your story, so other people can read about it on our website.
Read what others have to say about the bus service in Metro Vancouver.
|
I just wanted to say this morning 3 buses went by because they were too full. I walk a few blocks from my stop so I can have the option of catching 2 routes(I live in Queensborough) - the 410 or 104 going to 22nd Street Station. The 410 never stops anyways - which comes at 7:40am - it is too full, so that is the reason that I go down a few blocks so I can catch the 104 - which didn't even show up today, and then the 410 came again, which was too full - was able to pick up about 5 people, then the 104 came and picked up a few more people, but there were people still left at the bus stop. This has been an ongoing problem for almost 2 yrs and no one is doing anything!
B.S.
|
Every day I face the uncertainty of whether the #17 Oak Street / Downtown Bus will be on time. I take this bus route in the morning to work at Children's Hospital, as well as going down to Broadway for lunch, and finally leaving work at the end of the day. The buses never come on time. Often there will be a long 20-30 minute wait and then 2-3 buses will arrive at the same time. This happens regardless of the time of day.
S.
|
What is the net result in additional buses since 2005? What I am asking is how many new buses - old buses taken out of service including the useful old trolleys that were sold to Argentina and the others sitting at Oakridge.
Suggestion, demand that CMBC puts 25-50 of the old trolleys back into service for am and pm rush hour to eliminate some of the missed passengers. Eliminate the NIS hours to increase service on routes which need more service during all hours of the day.
D.J.
|
Why have the routes not changed with the explosion of the population? Take Surrey for example. How long does it take to get from Whalley to South Surrey? Do the routes reflect the fact that there is now a stop light every 2 blocks and thousands more cars on the road? I think not! I do not think it is fair to let the drivers pay for this oversight and attempt at saving money. How many drivers have been spat at or assaulted lately? Do you not think that people waiting for buses on a constant basis leads to frustration and perhaps aggression. There needs to be more buses on the road not only to serve the customers who pay the fares but for the health and safety of the drivers.
L.A.
|
I have to catch the first SkyTrain out of the Lougheed station and 5 am to get to Brentwood to be able to make my appointments. Well up to this year it was a little easier than now. As you use to have the #123 bus that would come along about 5:55 am that I could catch to go to Hastings so I could get the first #135 to take me to my first client and make it on time. NOW that TransLink has decided to get rid of the #123 going to kootney loop. So now we only have one choice and that is the #130 which now comes at 6:12 am now if I wait for that I will be late all the way down the line to getting to my client so I can get him up. So he can get to work on time. I know have to walk to hastings and wellington from Brentwood to make it on time.
This is just one bit of the way it is, Falcon and the rest of the cronies should have to be made to ride the buses like us the public for at least a year. And not with preferential treatment either, so they can learn what it is like having to start real early just to be able to make appointments. Then when you get where your going to the next thing you have to do is seek out places to wait because if you would have left later you would never have been on time as you just can not rely on transport in this city.
K.H.
|
We need more buses...too much overcrowding....no place for handicaps, strollers, elderly on the buses. Pay too much for not enough service...need to be more sustainable and efficient ...time to change. Hear us once and for all
A.B.
|
For the 491 and 496 routes from downtown to Richmond, it's not unusual to see it full before Broadway, or full before leaving downtown. As a result, people who normally board along Granville (like me) cannot even get on during some trips, often resulting in 30-minute waits for the next trip. It already takes about an hour to get home; now, I have to prepare for possible 2-hour commutes due to lack of capacity!
A.C.
|
In addition to requiring more buses, we need to extend our existing bus operations later in the evening. After 6:00 pm , bus frequency slows down dramatically despite the fact that many people work past 6:00 in Vancouver and need to get to their homes in the suburbs without waiting 30 minutes or more for the next bus!
People taking night school classes or working late shifts have no affordable way of getting home without waiting large amounts of time in the dark.
Please increase and extend the hours of evening bus service!!!
G.J.
|
My wife and I cancelled our parking spot downtown and started busing in April this year. Since then we have been consistently disappointed and frustrated with the service from Main and 14th to the Granville and Dunsmuir area. We often get passed by full buses, and we have tried leaving anytime between 7:00 and 8:30am, but the situation is always the same. Also, since the #3 doesn't go past Chinatown, we have to transfer to Main St. SkyTrain or another bus. Main Street SkyTrain during the morning rush is a nightmare.
We are going to start driving downtown again. We look forward to sleeping later and not dealing with all the stress from overcrowding and pass-bys.
Oh, the biggest irony is all the Translink propaganda touting improved services. Translink is a joke and I'd love to see Kevin Falcon try to get from my bus stop to the downtown core on a rainy November morning.
K.W.H.
|
I'm a senior with a bus pass, who has waited for buses which are overcrowded, pass you by, or don't show up because of breakdowns. I know the drivers do their best, but they can only do so much for us the passengers. We need help from the government...NOW. So do something or they need to resign and give the job to somebody who can make changes to better the system...it's not working.
V.A.
|
My "favourite" bus stories come from few years ago when I was living in Surrey and working in Langley. I took #501 to get home. The bus was running every 30min, and there were times when the bus just did not show up! Then you end up standing at the bus stop, sometimes in the rain, sometimes up to knees in snow, waiting to see if the next one shows up. Almost every time there were people who came in with expired transfers. They were annoyed of course... I felt bad for the bus drivers because they got yelled at a lot.
That's my story... I'll definitely support your campaign.
E.S.
|
I have been writing correspondence to Translink, my MLA (Adrian Dix) and the Minister of Transportation for years about the issue of poor transit service (and just sent another through your website). I have had responses from everyone except the Minister. I am especially frustrated by the ads promoting using public transportation that show half empty SkyTrains and buses, such an inaccurate picture of what we experience on a daily basis. I have suggested that the "Keeping Vancouver Moving" slogan was more like "Leaving Vancouver Stranded". I am hopeful that your campaign can make a difference… Finally!
Thanks for starting your campaign to improve our situation!
L.L.
|
I live in New Westminster and enjoy concerts at The Orpheum, but with the bus service out here after a concert, I just don`t have the energy to go Downtown for a concert that ends at 10:00, and then ride the SkyTrain to Braid or 22nd. St. and wait up to half an hour for a bus home. The SkyTrain is pretty efficient, but the lack of buses at the New Westminster end defeats the whole purpose.
B.W.
|
We need MORE BUSES, we need MORE DRIVERS, this is a serious situation as more and more people are taking transit. Please LISTEN to the bus drivers and those who USE TRANSIT, we know what we are talking about.
S.D.
|
I take the transit everyday to and from work and I really can't stand the service which we receive. I am sure that it is against the law to carry that many people in one bus and I swear that if the drivers were allowed they would continue to pack people on top of the bus (I should not have given you that idea). I think the transit authorities should start to ride the buses during business hours and see how much people are jammed into the buses. I complain all the time to both my brother in laws because one is a driver and the other is in the office. I have walked away with bruised toes because of people standing on me - in fact I am going to lose a nail because of it.
M.V.
|
Whalley needs a better service for the C73. I am tired of watching people being left behind. Rush hour in the morning you can run the bus every 20 minutes, but in the evening rush hour you don't. I would like to know why? And I think the community would like to know why also. You have the buses but your not putting them in service. We pay good money for this service and we don't get it. We pay more than the Metro Toronto for our fares and you can supply the service. If that is so cut our costs. We pay $5.00 one way to Vancouver from Surrey and that is pretty costly for a service that isn't there. It is time now to rethink this, not years down the road. Half the time I end up walking home for the bus is full and I am not standing out in the rain and cold for 1/2 hour for the next one and hoping its not full. So the cost for many of us is ridiculous. Are you willing to give people refunds when they can't use the so call service?
D.J.
|
I daily take public transportation both to and from my work in St. Paul's Hospital downtown. In the past, I have been fortunate enough to get one of the last seats on the bus in the morning on the ARBUTUS (16) ROUTE. Lately, this has not been so. On a number of occasions in the recent past, the buses have been too full and we have had to wait for another one. This is at 41st Avenue. On the way home, the usual is that approx. 6 full buses go by while we wait and wait and wait. A trip which normally would take 25 minutes, takes over 90 minutes.Obviously, changes need to be made. WE NEED MORE BUSES!!!
S.N.
|
I find the buses overly crowded, hot, steamy (especially when raining). More buses are definitely needed, especially when the population is being encouraged to get out of their cars.
E.A.
|
I don't know how many times I have stood at Hastings and Commercial and watched bus after bus go past me full or going to 54th or 41st street. Since I live overlooking the Harrison Loop those will not get me far enough. It takes me less that 15 minutes to get from Kooteny Loop to the corner of Hastings and Commercial at 5:00 PM on a weekday and sometimes an hour or more from there to the Hastings Loop. I have gotten to know one poor bus driver so well we say hi and chat about how bad it is every time we meet.
I have also stood at the Harrison Loop and waited on a Saturday afternoon from 2:00 till 2:45 waiting for a bus.
I know it is not their fault but it is so frustrating watching bus after bus pass you saying that it is full when it isn't, and waiting half an hour or more without seeing a bus and then they come 5 in a row. One afternoon I stood at 54th and watched 5 buses in a row turn back there the only driver who actually didn't turn and picked us all up had to go to the loop to be relieved.
Thursdays and Fridays are the worst in the afternoon. The worst are the ones who pass you by with an un-full bus when it is pouring rain, that is when tempers are the worst.
Thank you for trying to help. I'm wearing your button everyday from now on.
L.D.
|
I have a daughter who spent 2 years busing it to Cap College from NewWestminster. It took her 1-1/2 hours to get there by bus if the weather was good. That meant she spent 3 hours a day just commuting to College and back. I could drive her there in 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. Hmmmm! Does B.C. really want people to go green? If the weather was bad, she had to allow herself an extra hour or even more time if she had an early morning exam!!
Our transit system is totally unacceptable!! With the rising gas prices and a developing recession, buses are needed more than ever. At the end of a war, you have a baby boom. During a recession, more people use public transit!!!!
Please act now before this crisis gets even worse!!
H.J.
|
I'ts bad! Sorry, but thats the truth. I am 67 years of age and have been riding the buses in Vancouver since 1950. I'm sorry but we have gone backwards in regards to transit. Its pretty sad when I choose to stay home on a Sunday instead of waiting 20 minutes or possibly an hour to get a Metrotown bus. If I make it through this life without falling and breaking a bone when I'm on a bus I will only have God to thank for that. The new buses do not have a place to hold onto from the driver's seat to a seat if your lucky to get one. As was said on the net last year..."People are used to standing they don't mind". Excuse me but that seems to be the way TransLink regard the bus riders these days. I think its very sad.
Thanks for listening to me.
Sandy
|
I'm exceedingly impressed and pleased that initiative is finally being pushed to the masses over how inadequate our bus system is. This directly affects too many of us. I'm personally speaking up specifically on behalf of the overwhelming portion of Metro Vancouver that consists of post-secondary students relying heavily on the bus system as the sole method of getting to our lectures, labs and exams. Overcrowding and lack of service is ridiculous in a city with such an active, busy population and I hope this can be the final push that catches the undivided attention of our government.
M.C.
|
I take the 144 to SFU every week-day morning, corner Norland and Ledger. The only bus I can get onto is the 8:03am bus, which luckily(!), takes me to work at 8:30am sharp, which is my start time.
I have tried on numerous occasions to take the 144 SFU bus between 7:30am and 8:45am, and could not get on because it was too full. Would it be possible to increase 144 SFU bus service during this time?
C.S.
|
I love taking transit however, we definitely need improvements. I've been a rider and a 1 year pass subscriber for over 10 years and the service has steadily declined and rider ship has grown.
B.P.
|
In the evening approx 6pm, I catch a 502 bus or 395 bus at Surrey Central station. Every evening the buses leave Surrey Central packed to the doors and leave people at the stop who want to get on - but can't because the bus is too full. The buses run only once every 15 minutes and so the next bus that comes to pick up the people who had been left behind picks up as many passengers as will fit on the bus and then leaves others who want to get on. The drivers of these buses are forced to drive past stops where people are waiting for approximately 3 kms before enough people have gotten off.
C.D.
|
I work at SFU and travel up the hill every weekday with my 3-year old son on the bus. Traveling with a 3 year old on transit is already difficult at times, but that cannot be avoided. However the consistent overcrowding and buses driving by full can be avoided. I'd love to see something done about this relatively cheap problem to fix, rather than massive capital projects like bridges & skytrain lines.
J.S.
|
I'm sick and tired of buses passing me by every day. I'm late for work because of it and I'm tired of this situation. We need more 395's and
502's going to SkyTrain in the a.m. How can people be expected to go GREEN when the bus situation is so bad?? I've been taking buses for over
20 years and they've never been so crowded. In third world countries like India they're doing better because they have so many buses and so
often that it's actually more convenient than driving!
P.S.
|
I live in Richmond and work at UBC. I've been commuting by bus for almost ten years - and every year it gets worse. I usually try to use the Sexsmith Park & Ride but too often the #480 doesn't even stop - and when it does I rarely get a seat. 40 minutes is too long for me to stand - being jostled by students, smacked in the head with book bags, and having wet umbrellas dripping on my legs. I phone and email Translink (CMBC) constantly with specific comments, complaints and suggestions. I continue to get the same old rhetoric for a response. When I ask why the #480 is forced to pick-up along 41st - they insist Richmond can not a support it's own designated bus ! Then why are the buses passing up Richmond riders so often? Why do they leave Richmond commuters in the UBC Loop when they pullout full ? And a lot of the riders aren't going past 41st & Dunbar! The #480 is our only choice.
Obviously since the UPass came in it's gotten much much worse. The saving grace is that I'm retiring in about two years - and if the new RAV line comes in before - I will be back in my car. It's challenging enough taking the #480 "Express" (and I've never been able to get CMBC's definition of that word!) to UBC but when they force me to take a bus to Skytrain - take Skytrain to Cambie - then another bus to UBC I'm done with public transit.
Keep up the good work - I wish you all the success - but I'm not holding my breath !
N.F.
|
I live in Surrey - Newton Area and I use the 340 bus to take me home which comes every 30 minutes. The system is bad, if I miss my bus it takes sometimes more than 30 minutes due to traffic for the next bus to come. It is not fun to wait in cold, rain and wind especially in winter. The 340 is the only bus serving that area so there are no other options for me.
M.C.
|
I take either the 492 or 488 between 6:50 and 7:05 a.m. to get from Richmond to downtown and 90% of the time I have to stand all the way. This makes my commute to work very tiring to say the least and is not only unfair to riders, but it's also dangerous as the buses are way too crowded and people are jammed in like sardines.
K.L.
|
|
|
Your Story