BACKGROUNDER
2007OTP0151-001241 Oct. 5, 2007	Office of the Premier Ministry of Transportation TransLink
HIGHWAY 1 RAPID BUS SERVICE

Planning New Transit for the Future:

With the opening of the new Port Mann Bridge in 2013, frequent, reliable and efficient bus service will be re-established for the first time in over 20 years, significantly improving transportation choice in this large and growing area of Greater Vancouver.

 

Highway 1 Rapid Bus service will be a key way to ensure our region’s transportation network can address congestion, support economic activity and increased density in designated growth areas, increase transit and transportation choice and provide better inter-municipal connections.

 

The rapid bus service will connect key areas such as Walnut Grove, Surrey Central, Coquitlam Town Centre and Lougheed Town Centre, and further integrate communities south of the Fraser River and in the Fraser Valley.

 

Key Benefits:

• Reduced congestion and reduced greenhouse gas emissions – more than 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes per year. Effective transit is a key part of the Province’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020.
• Increased transportation choice – For the first time since 1990, transit will be a viable transportation alternative to single-occupant vehicles for people using the Port Mann Bridge.
• Fast, frequent and efficient connections (with few stops) between key town centres in Langley, Surrey and Coquitlam/Burnaby.
• Significantly expanded rapid transit network – with quick and efficient links to existing SkyTrain lines, and via new bus routes, to Abbotsford and Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows.
• More people can leave their cars at home – about 21,600 passengers per day are expected to use the service.
• As fast as or faster than by car – with few stops and using the HOV lanes, the express bus service will take less than 25 minutes from Langley to Coquitlam/Burnaby.

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Media contact:	Mike Morton Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218	Ken Hardie TransLink 604 220-2450
	Jeff Knight Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Transportation 250 356-7707
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.