During the summer months, I often ride my bike to work rather than ride the bus, in large part to take a transit break to help alleviate my frustrations with the transit system in Vancouver. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of public transit – there’s nothing I’d like to see more than a clean, safe, well-run, functional system in what’s been called one of the most livable cities in the world – but I just can’t take the disappointment with the current system on a daily basis.
I live in Southeast Vancouver, and work at UBC. You’d think I’d have plenty of options to catch a bus going west – we’ve got the #49, the #41, and the express #43. I’ve pretty much given up on the #49, though, since I get passed by several times per week and it’s just not reliant. The #43? Can’t get on it as it’s already full by the time it reaches Knight Street and it just sails on by.
Today I thought I’d take my chances and try the most convenient bus – the #49. You’d think there would be no problem; after all, school is out, people are on holidays, folks are cycle-commuting. Well, you’d be wrong, and how very optimistic of you. Two buses passed me by before I could get on. And despite TransLink’s recent update announcing increased service on the 49 (among others) to at least every 15 minutes as of June 23, that’s not yet helping the overcrowded morning commute. I still waited 12-15 minutes for each subsequent bus, making me 25 minutes later than I had planned to get to work, and about 35 minutes later than if I had just ridden my bike.
While this is frustrating, I do have some flexibility over my work hours and don’t need to be there at a specific time. (And folks at work sure get a kick out of my never-ending supply of bus stories.) But what about the many folks who work at UBC and elsewhere who need reliant bus service to get them to work at a specific time? How many people lose their jobs because they are late because they couldn’t get on the bus and can’t afford – or don’t want to drive – a car? Yes, we can leave an hour or two early in order to factor in the inevitable pass-bys, but that’s not a sustainable option for working parents, and certainly not functional for a city that expects transit ridership to increase in the coming years.
Public Transit in Vancouver 