The September 2010 Buzzer is now out!

The September 2010 Buzzer is now on board all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

This issue focuses on the fall service changes that start September 6. Trolley bus service is back on Granville Street, and we’ve managed to get the whole map of changes into the issue, on top of the entire list of service changes.

There’s also back-to-school info about the U-Pass BC program and Go Card photo sessions.

There’s also a couple of photos from the cupcake celebration on Canada Line’s first anniversary! Also, there’s a quick reminder about our partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium: $2 off admission with a valid transit ticket!

Again, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Joan Gurney. Great work, Joan!

And if you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the September issue PDF!)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Friday, September 24 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

The August 2010 Buzzer is now out!

The August 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

This issue focuses on the I Love Transit Week! As many stories as possible from I Love Transit Week were crammed into the newsletter, including the haiku and a summary of I Love Transit Night.

There’s also a lovely story from Linda Lund, sharing her stories of friendship found on the 159. And check out the story of Amrit Bains, who’s in our staff spotlight — he’s a singer with two Punjabi albums out in India!

Again, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Cecilia Daude. Many thanks Cecilia!

If you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the August issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Monday, August 23 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

Friday fun post: 1950 Buzzer showcases the heart of the traffic light system

The Buzzer from July 7, 1950 showed the lamppost that controlled traffic lights in Vancouver's business district.

Here’s another classic Buzzer for our first sunny Friday. The July 7, 1950 issue spent most of its time discussing the lamppost that controlled a key part of Vancouver’s traffic light system in 1950!

Here’s the tantalizing introduction :

The city’s most complicated lamp-post stands near the Courthouse on Howe Street. It looks like a thousand others around town as you walk by. Only this lamp-post ticks, quietly and without pause, day in and day out, 365 days a year.

If the ticking ever stops, look out!

Like a heart quitting, it would create almost instant paralysis . . . all over downtown Vancouver traffic would bog down and clot.

For this lamp-post, ladies and gentlemen, houses the devices that control and coordinate traffic lights throughout the city’s chief business area.

The Buzzer goes on to describe the light system’s operation in great detail, and there’s lots of then-new facts about how the city’s traffic flows worked: Seymour and Howe were two-way streets and carried just 800 vehicles a day, and the opening of the Granville Street Bridge was highly anticipated — it would boost Seymour and Howe’s capacity to 1800 vehicles a day!

(Question: does anyone know where this lamppost might have been? Would be neat if a remnant is still there!)

And also, let’s test out the WordPress poll plugin, that is purported to work on the blog now! You should also be able to see it in the right hand sidebar, if you’re on the actual Buzzer site.

Consider this a rehash of last week’s small discussion, but now with a quantitative element! Feel free to make suggestions for Friday fun post content in the comments.

The June 2010 Buzzer is now out!

The June 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

(Please note that owing to budget concerns, this June issue will serve as our Buzzer for June and July. Look for the next issue on August 6!)

This issue focuses on the seasonal bus service changes coming on Monday, June 21.

There’s also a note about I Love Transit Week in July, encouraging you to submit your stories and come to I Love Transit Night! See this post for more info on that.

We’ve also written about the first anniversaries of the Golden Ears Bridge (June 14) and Central Valley Greenway (June 27)!

Plus, there’s the results of the APTA rail rodeo, bus service to Empire Field, and a notification about additional service to the Caribbean Days festival and the Celebration of Light.

As always, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Tara Williamson. Many thanks Tara!

If you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the June issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Thursday, July 27 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

Happy 94th birthday to the Buzzer!

Images of the Buzzer's first issue! At bottom right is a picture of the jitneys, private cars that competed with the streetcar system. Click for a much larger look!

Happy 94th birthday to the Buzzer!

As you may know, the very first Buzzer appeared on streetcars in June 2, 1916. (See the full first issue here!)

The first Buzzer ran a contest for the newsletter’s name, and when 11 people sent in the winner, the company just split the prize money between them: $2 each! Runners up were “Current Comments” and “Between the Lines.” (Here’s the 2nd issue announcing the winners.)

The Buzzer was originally launched so the streetcars could compete with jitneys, private citizens who patrolled streetcar routes and offered rides for five cents. Jitneys were banned in July 1918, but the Buzzer kept going for another 90 years and counting.

For a Buzzer history treat, have a look at the main Buzzer page on the TransLink website — go to “Related Documents” on the right side, and you’ll find scanned Buzzer issues all the way back to 1960.

Make sure to let me know if you see tidbits to share. More issues from the 1950s will be uploaded soon! You can also see four fun issues from the Buzzer’s 93rd birthday.

Last but not least, here are the PowerPoint slides from the talk I gave to the Vancouver Historical Society last Thursday — you can read the slide notes for a rough outline of its content. Chuck Davis also posted a description of my talk over at the KnowBC blog. Expect video and audio eventually, thanks to Karen and Jason!

Come hear me talk about the Buzzer with the Vancouver Historical Society, Thu May 27

The Buzzer logo from 1936!

The Vancouver Historical Society has kindly invited me to give a talk about the Buzzer next week, on Thursday May 27!

If you’re interested in attending, here are the details from the Society’s Events page:

Thursday, May 27, 2010
7:00 -7:30 p.m. Annual General Meeting
7:30 p.m. Stories from the Buzzer
Speaker: Jhenifer Pabillano

These gatherings take place in the Museum of Vancouver, located at 1100 Chestnut Street at 7.30 pm. Enquire at the Museum desk for directions to the room.

Distributed on public transportation across Vancouver for 94 years, the in-house publication, the Buzzer, became Vancouver’s unique window to the past. Started in 1916 to keep people informed about public transit, it also served to foster rider loyalty to their streetcars in the face of competition by ‘jitney’ operators who patrolled streetcar routes offering competitive rides for five cents. Although ‘jitney’ service was abolished in 1918, the Buzzer became a mainstay of Vancouver public transit with its array of interest facts and anecdotes and became a tally sheet of change throughout much of the City’s history.

Wish me luck! Perhaps I’ll see some of you there :)

The May Buzzer is now out!

The May 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

This issue focuses on the seasonal bus service changes coming on Monday, May 3.

There’s a note about changed bus bays for the 112 near New Westminster Station, and service adjustments for VCC/Clark Station from June 1-6. (We’re hosting the APTA Rail conference in June, and the Rail Rodeo competition takes place those days!)

We’ve also written about Bike to Work Week, May 31 to June 6: a great reason to try biking to work or school.

Plus, there’s items on the trolley wire being reinstalled on Granville, the UBC Line Rapid Transit Study, and our Annual General Meeting on the SeaBus!

As always, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Claire Shadrake. Well done Claire!

If you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the May issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Thursday, May 27 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

Tobias Ottahal: Buzzer illustrator interview!

Tobias sent along this self-portrait, which I've put next to his Great Ride illustration!

The fine tradition of interviewing our Buzzer illustrators continues! Here is Tobias Ottahal, who drew the cover of the April issue.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art!

I’m a Swedish native who came to Vancouver about five years ago to study design, but started out as an illustrator. My career began at my junior high newspaper :)

How did you come up with the Buzzer cover? Can you talk a bit about the other concepts?

Since the theme was related to the “Bike the Blossoms”-ride, I wanted to do something that conveyed the massive change from barren tree branches to the explosion of leaves and cherry blossoms that occur around this time of year. The general idea was to let the blossoms have centre stage
and to see it from a Stanley Park-visitor’s perspective.

Read more »

The April Buzzer is now out!

The April 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

Did you notice that the logo has changed, and there’s a new swoosh? It’s an updated look to match the rest of our printed materials and our website. The Buzzer blog will eventually transition to the new logo too.

(The swoosh on the newsletter will go all the way down to the edge in future issues — we’re still getting used to it!)

The issue’s main feature is on the first Great Rides bike ride of 2010, which is a Bike the Blossoms event on Saturday, April 17, 2010. It’s a great excuse to get on your bike and explore the cherry blossoms in Vancouver!

There’s also a lovely story about a grade four class whose field trip was rescued by our transit service, an interview with a CMBC maintenance planner who happens to be a childrens’ book author, and travel info for the Sun Run and BMO Vancouver Marathon. Plus there’s info about the new Coast Meridian Overpass, which opened in Port Coquitlam just after the Olympics!

And there is info on the new fares starting April 1: and please note that we got the concession FareCard price wrong! The price is actually $46.50!

As always, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Tobias Ottahal. Super job Tobias, and sorry the colour wasn’t pink for the blossoms!

If you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the April issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Thursday, April 22 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

A secret message written in the Buzzer

A colleague found this marked-up copy of the Buzzer on a bus and sent it along to me. Do you see the secret message?

I wonder who it was originally for? Fiction writers, crack out your skills!

Jesse Williams: Buzzer illustrator interview!

Jesse Williams and his illustration for the March 2010 Buzzer!

Once again, here’s an interview with the illustrator behind the latest Buzzer cover. This time we’re talking to Jesse Williams, who drew the illustration for our March Buzzer!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art!

I am 24 years old. I live in North Vancouver. I am a freelance graphic designer and a graduate of the IDEA program at Capilano University.

How did you come up with the March Buzzer cover? Can you talk a bit about the other concepts?

I did a lot of quick thumbnail sketches….The illustration just evolved from those.. Vancouver felt really happy and positive during the Olympics, I tried to capture that feeling in an illustration.

Read more »

The March Buzzer is now out!

The March 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

Since the Olympic experience was so huge for us, this issue talks about stories from the Games, the ridership we carried, and some great quotes we heard from customers and the media.

You might recognize many of the stories from the blog — especially the salmon riding transit!

We also have travel info about the Paralympics, and the community events section lists the free Paralympic events that you can attend. Make sure to visit travelsmart2010.ca or the TransLink page on Paralympic transportation for all the details.

Again, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Jesse Williams. Thanks Jesse!

And as always, if you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the March issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Friday, March 26 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

Chloe Lan: Buzzer illustrator interview!

Chloe Lan and her illustration for the January/February Buzzer!

Let’s keep going with the fine tradition of interviewing our Buzzer illustrators! Here is the delightful Chloe Lan, who drew the cover of the latest issue (she describes it as a “Transformer-type of lineup” of our services, as you’ll see :)

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art!

I’ve always been curious about anything fun and creative since I was a kid. I enjoy playing, trying, and creating things I haven’t seen before. That’s why imagination significantly outweighs reality when it comes to the content of my work.
I enjoyed the challenge of adapting to Canada when I arrived from Taiwan at the age of 13. I discovered the power of images and icons to bridge gaps that language could not when I started making friends with my drawings as I first arrived in a school that was completely foreign to me.
I love working on projects that allows me to communicate to the public with sincerity and imagination. Inspired by my mentor, Craig Redmond, I want to listen to the public and create works that will be heard. I want my work to take me to places.

Read more »

The January Buzzer is now out!

The January 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

Since the Olympics are on and everyone at TransLink will be out in the field, this issue is actually going to be on the system throughout January and February.

It’s filled with Olympic travel information, including resources to help you “know before you go,” handy phone numbers, info about fares, and fun facts about transit.

We’ve also filled the community events section with free events happening during the Olympics, which we found at CityCaucus.com’s free 2010 events listings!

Again, we’re proud to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Chloe Lan. Great job, Chloe!

And as always, if you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives, which now stretch back to January 2000. (Here’s the direct link to the January issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Monday, March 1 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

The December Buzzer is now out!

The December 2009 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

In this issue, we’ve got a list of the December service changes and holiday service, plus we’re asking what you would like to see in the Buzzer. Tell us: we really want to get it in!

We’ve also got a great story about B.K. Singh, one of our operators who also acts in his spare time! Check out his acting resume: he’s been in Punjabi soaps, has a part in the new movie 2012, and he’s been featured in a Coast Capital Savings commercial!

Again, we’re proud to have a cover from illustrator Jane Koo, who did the September cover as well! We credited her wrong on the September cover, so we’re finally recognizing her properly. (Awesome job as usual, Jane!)

And as always, if you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives, which now stretch back to January 2000. (Here’s the direct link to the December issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Monday, January 4 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.