TransLink recently released its 2025 Bus Speed and Reliability Report and found that bus delays caused by congestion are a significant concern, slowing bus travel times and costing TransLink about $115 million annually to maitain service frequency. Simply, if you want a bus every 15 minutes, the slower the bus travels, the more buses you need to maintain the same level of frequency. If we were able to eliminate all delays, which of course is not possible, the region would be able to increase bus service by 13%, which is significant.
Knowing this, TransLink has been working with municipalities to speed up bus travel times. In Langley City, we have bus lanes on Fraser Highway, 203rd Street, and Logan Avenue as a result of this program.
Some of the more recent successes include the installation of bus lanes on Scott Road, which has improved bus travel times by 20% (about 10 minutes) from Scott Road SkyTrain to Newton. Another example is the ramp queue-jumper lanes on Highway 99 and 17A, which allow buses to zip past congestion, improving bus route travel times by 30%.
One of the priorities is to grow the amount of bus priority measures along the frequent transit network. Between 2018, when the program was launched, and today, the share of bus priority measures along the frequent transit network has increased from 9% to 17%, a success story.
The following map shows bus priority measures implemented since 2019.
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| Map of Bus Speed and Reliability Project from 2019 to 2025. Select the map to enlarge. |
TransLink is continuing to work with municipalities to identify areas for bus priority measures with a new funding intake this fall. These projects pay for themselves over time as they allow TransLink to reinvest bus service hours to improve service.
I look forward to seeing the continued rollout of this program, which is essentially like finding free money. To learn more, please read the full report.
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