The May Buzzer is now out!
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.
So, what’s happened to all the Main Street bus schedule electronic signs?
Main, here’s the answer from TransLink planning:
Are the bus schedule electronic signs going to be installd at other bus stops throughout the system?
Out of curiosity, do the bus stop signs display times for the 22 that only shows up during rush hours along Main?
Do they show information for rerouted buses? If a 17 for some strange reason needed to be routed via Main, would the sign show that?
Those people’s necks are freakishly thin :)
Ric: As far as I know, CMBC/Translink got federal $$$’s to make Main Street a more transit user friendly corridor, so those time displays are just for Main Street at this time…
I believe there is a desire to have them also at all current and future B-Line bus stops, but I don’t know if there is any money to pay for it…
Cliff: I don’t think they were programmed for anything but the #3’s… I may be wrong…
It was a much different system when the #98’s had their times displayed, but they only showed #98’s, and only ones that were logged into the system… If you had a particular bus that was not logged in, then it wasn’t displayed…
No info for any other buses along that route either…
There is asome sort of new display on Hwy #99 Southbound at Steveston Hwy too, BUT that only shows Highway style Orions buses… Any other style of bus and it’s not displayed…
I’ve taken a few buses in Chinatown and the aluminum display lists all buses that approach the stops. This is really handy to know when buses approach and which are delayed. I would like to see this technology applied to major intersections like Broadway and Commercial. Especially for the #20 that is frequently delayed.
Yes, I too wondered about the cost. It’s one reason I would like to see real time schedules appear on the mobile Translink site so that it’s available on my Blackberry screen. Having on the mobile site should be cheaper than putting up all those displays, as most people have cellphones to get to the mobile site. Mobile sites allow people to see the bus status prior to getting to the stop.
The PID’s seem to show all buses scheduled to stop at that location. For example at southbound Main & Hastings I have seen the display show upcoming 3, 4, 7, 8, 210, 211 buses. And the 210 and 211 don’t even pick up passengers there!
And off topic, but the TSP system works for the #8 line as well as the #3 line for which it was designed, but not for the #19.
And yes I have seen 22 via Terminal buses displayed at the northbound Main Station stop.
Oh, I stand corrected! I do only drive Richmond routes, so haven’t actually experienced the stops along Main street in about 8 years now…
I do apologize for being incorrect…
So according to what I’m reading in the buzzer, for 6 days the 84 bus will start westbound at 6th and Keith, but the eastbound terminus is Commercial-Broadway station? Why not make the westbound departure point Commercial-Broadway as well? It would certainly making connection with Skytrain earlier… unless there’s no room at Commercial-Broadway for that
Ric: as Sean explained, the displays were installed on Main St owing to federal funding, through the Urban Showcase program. Check out this post for more info.
Cliff, to add to Derek Cheung’s answer, here’s the word from TransLink planning:
I still haven’t seen May Buzzers on the bus yet, but I still see January and April ones, entire box of each one on both sides of the same bus =P
Andrew S: We have them at the Richmond depot, but I guess many drivers are taking out bundles of the new Public Timetables, and maybe not even noticing the new Buzzers???
Plus, a few drivers “expect” to see them after the first Friday of the month, but this time around, they were delivered at the end of (Last) month..
dan t: I sent your question along and here’s the answer I was given — let me know if it answers what you were after!
Andrew S: Yes, to add to Sean’s comment, it’s dependent on whether drivers have taken them out to the buses or not.
Sean, thanks for the insight into the Buzzer process! I’ve been out to the depots in the mornings before but any further insight on helping folks get Buzzers on board is fantastic.
Ah yes, that answer makes sense. Thanks alot!