98 B-Line

98 B-Line
Overview
System B-Line
Operator Coast Mountain Bus Company
Began service August 2001
Ended service September 7, 2009
Route
Start Burrard Station
End Brighouse (Steveston & Shell, evenings and morning only)
Stations 22
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The 98 B-Line was a bus rapid transit line, now defunct, in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It connected Richmond, British Columbia to Downtown Vancouver, with a connection to Vancouver International Airport. It travelled mainly along Granville Street in Vancouver and dedicated bus lane on No. 3 Road in Richmond. It was operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company and was funded by TransLink. The route was 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) long. The line carried over 18,000 passengers daily (, PDF file). It was discontinued on September 7, 2009, two and a half weeks after the opening of the Canada Line, which replaced it.

The 98 GPS technology, automated stop announcements, specialized bus stop displays that showed the amount of time until the next bus arrives, and special traffic light signals that sustained green lights long enough for buses to pass through.

The 98 B-Line had nine stops in Richmond (including the transfer point to the airport) and fourteen stops in Vancouver (including seven stops downtown). Waiting times were approximately five to seven minutes per bus during peak hours and ten minutes per bus during mid-afternoons. In the evening and at night, the waiting time was around fifteen minutes per bus, and in the early morning the waiting time was around 20 to 30 minutes. Total travel time from end to end on the route was approximately 42 minutes, but could increase to one hour during peak hours due to traffic.

In Richmond, the 98 B-Line followed a dedicated bus lane separated from mainstream traffic on No. 3 Road, between the Lansdowne and Sea Island Way stops. On February 13, 2006, the 98 B-Line's bus lane in Richmond was closed as utility crews prepared for the construction of the Canada Line along No. 3 Road. Between February 2006 until its discontinuation in September 2009, the 98 B-Line travelled with regular traffic.

The route was modelled after the successful 99 B-Line, which operates between University of British Columbia and Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station. Like its older counterpart, larger articulated buses were normally used for this route, each with a 120-passenger capacity. These buses were built by New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Every 98 B-Line stop had an information poster like this one. The one above was from the Seymour & Davie stop.

History

Prior to the introduction of the 98 B-Line, most bus routes in Richmond traveled into Downtown Vancouver during rush hours. These routes stopped at all stops along their routes in Richmond, then would operate along Granville Street in Vancouver as express services.

Although the idea of a rapid bus line from Richmond to Vancouver had been discussed for decades, it was first proposed by BC Transit in 1994. In 1995, Vancouver city council approved a southbound high-occupancy vehicle lane for the evening peak hours in the Marpole neighbourhood in preparation for an express bus service. In 1997, the idea of a rapid transit line was re-introduced with the objective of providing the express service at regular fares. A study was done and it was determined that the best route for the line would be through Granville Street in Vancouver.[1]

A typical 98 B-Line stop; the one above is for Seymour & Davie.

The project cost about $52 million CAD to build;[2] this includes the price of new vehicles, the construction of a dedicated bus lane in Richmond, installing new bus shelters, automated on-board announcements and similar technology, transit priority systems for traffic lights and a share of the new Richmond bus depot (as the old Vancouver Oakridge depot could not accommodate the longer 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses used on the route [3]). The line was officially opened in August 2001.

With the introduction of the B-Line, almost all other local bus services traveling between Richmond and Vancouver were eliminated, resulting in most commuters having to transfer from a local service to the B-Line. As a result of the added transfer and quicker travel times of the B-Line that did not materialize, commute times for passengers increased even though a commute time savings of several minutes had been promised. Within a few years, rush hours routes were created which effectively restored direct rush hour service from most urban areas of Richmond to Vancouver.

The B-line was one of the most used routes in the TransLink system. Around 2002 to 2003, plans to replace the 98 B-Line with a light rail line were being brought up. This new line's working name was the "RAV Line" (with RAV standing for Richmond-Airport-Vancouver). It generated much controversy, mainly due to its estimated cost of $1.72 billion CAD. The project was also threatened by political interference from Richmond city council, which had insisted that the line being operated in the city at grade principally because they favored the aesthetic attributes of an at grade line over an above grade line; faced with the majority of public favoring an above grade line and the consideration that an at grade line would increase operating costs and significantly increase trip times, Richmond council backed down. The project was voted down by the TransLink board twice because of political infighting because the board members representing the northeast areas of Greater Vancouver wanted a line built to Coquitlam. The "RAV Line" project was saved after the board agreed to build both lines by 2010.[4] While not part of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the Canada Line was completed in August 2009, and has now replaced the 98 B-Line.

As February 2008, 98 B-Line route passengers with valid proof of payment were permitted to board using any of the three doors at any stop. To facilitate this, the bus driver controlled the operation of all three doors at each of the stops. Passengers paying cash or validating FareSavers had to board through the front door.

The 98 B-Line was discontinued on September 7, 2009, two and a half weeks after the Canada Line opened. After this date, the #10 Hastings/Downtown/Granville bus began running more frequently along Granville street to compensate.[5]

98 B-Line stops and transfer points

98 B-Line

SeaBus
to Lonsdale Quay

Waterfront

West Coast Express
to Mission City

Burrard

Granville
Burrard & Robson
Expo / Millennium Line
to King George / VCC–Clark

Nelson & Hornby
Seymour & Smithe
Howe & Davie
Seymour & Davie
5th Avenue
99 B-Line
to Commercial–Broadway

99 B-Line
to UBC Loop

Broadway
King Edward
41st Avenue
49th Avenue
70th Avenue
Airport Station
Sea Island Way
Capstan Way
Aberdeen
Lansdowne
Westminster Highway
Richmond Centre
Brighouse
 Legend 
98 B-Line (Bus)
Expo/Millennium Line (SkyTrain)
West Coast Express (Commuter Rail)
SeaBus (Passenger-only Ferry)
99 B-Line (Bus)
 Fare Zone 1
 Fare Zone 2

Downtown Vancouver

Vancouver

Richmond

The stop for Richmond Centre.
Demolition of the former 98 B-Line busway between Sea Island Way and Lansdowne stations on No. 3 Road, in preparation for the Canada Line.

Route notes

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/980303/rr1.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/mills.pdf
  3. ↑ http://novax.com/products/media/98B-Line%20Final%20Report.pdf
  4. ↑ http://www.spec.bc.ca/article/article.php?articleID=404
  5. ↑ "Connecting Transit Services". TransLink. Retrieved 2009-07-29.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.