Bus Strike Survival Guide for Langley

As a daily transit user, and someone who does not own a car, I have been closely following the contract negations between Unifor and TransLink’s wholly owned subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus which operates most bus routes and SeaBus service in our region.

It is looking likely that from Wednesday thru Friday this week, most bus routes and SeaBus service will not be operating. This means that up to half a million people in our region will need to figure out alternative plans when it comes to getting around, work, and school.

Langley is in a bit of a unique situation because many of our bus routes will be operational no matter what, and there are some options to get connected into the SkyTrain network.

If you own a car, but work west of the Fraser River, you may want to check if your employer will let you work from home. Because there may be increased traffic on the major routes, this would be the least stressful option.

Another option is to check if your employer will help arrange carpooling.

If you take the 555 to get to the SkyTrain network, you could take the West Coast Express from Maple Meadows Station. There is a park and ride lot, but it may be busier than normal.

If you use buses to get around in Langley, all community shuttle routes will be operating because they are contracted to First Transit. This is the list of bus routes that will be running in Langley no matter what:

370 Cloverdale / Willowbrook
372 Clayton Heights / Langley Centre
560 Murrayville / Langley Centre
561 Langley Centre / Brookswood
562 Langley Centre / Walnut Grove
563 Langley Centre / Fernridge
564 Langley Ctr / Willowbrook

If you live in Aldergrove, need access to the rest of Langley, and transit is your only option, you may consider using BC Transit. The 21 and 66 can be used to get to Carvolth Park and Ride. You need to walk about eight minutes to transfer between these routes at High Street as shown in the following map.

Transferring between the 21 and 66 in Abbotsford near High Street Mall. Select map to enlarge.

As a note, BC Transit is a cash-only system and doesn’t take Compass Card.

SkyTrain and West Coast Express will be running on their regular schedule, even if there is a bus strike.

For the latest information, please be sure to visit TransLink’s website.