When I saw the schedule for the new 555 Port Mann Express, I was a bit skeptical of the scheduled time of 22 minutes between Braid Station and the new Carvolth Transit Exchange in Langley. I’ve driven over the Port Mann Bridge enough times in my lifetime to wonder: would it really be that quick?

Turns out, the answer is yes!

I went for my first-ever ride this morning – the first day of weekday service – during the morning peak. With the new Port Mann Bridge opened on Saturday, the bus hummed along in the HOV lane and made for a quick trip. At 7am, the trip from Braid to Carvolth was around 15 minutes. My ride back at 8am was closer to the advertised 22 minutes, mainly because there was traffic backed up at the Brunette exit.

Overall, it seems that the bus, combined with the opening of the new Port Mann Bridge, makes for a speedy commute. On the Langley to Braid trip, there were about 10 other commuters on board. I chatted with someone from Langley who was going to see his previous one hour and forty minute commute (a combination of buses to Surrey, then the Expo and then the Millennium Lines) halved with the new service.

Some of our intrepid readers were also out on the new route this weekend:

• Chris Cassidy was on the official first run on Saturday morning and posted his Flickr photoset: First Day of the 555.
• Ernest Ng was also out on Saturday and posted a few of his own photos of the first day of service on the 555.

Have you been out for a ride on the new 555 Port Mann Express? Tell us about your experience here in the comments.