Ride a historic trolleybus for FREE on August 16, 18 and 24
Ride a historic trolleybus for FREE on August 16, 18 and 24
Vancouver’s trolleybus network turns 70 on August 16, 2018 and we’re celebrating with FREE rides on a historic trolleybus!
A 1954 Canadian Car Brill T-48A trolleybus, painted in the B.C. Hydro and Power Authority livery (design on the outside), returns to Vancouver’s streets for three days:
- Thursday, August 16, noon – 4 p.m. (departs from Cordova St at Seymour St, approximately every 70 mins.)
- Saturday, August 18, noon – 4 p.m. (departs from Cambie St at Hastings St, stop #50410, approximately every 30 mins.)
- Friday, August 24, noon – 4 p.m. (departs from Cambie St at Hastings St, stop #50410, approximately every 30 mins.)
We expect the historic trolleybus rides to be very popular, so get there early! It’s first come, first served. Rides end at 4 p.m. on all three days, so the last departure will be about 70 mins. prior on Aug. 16 and about half-an-hour prior on Aug. 18 & 24.
The first trolleybus, a Canadian Car Brill T-44, hit the road on August 16, 1948, operating the 6 Fraser and 15 Cambie route. It was part of the ambitious “rails-to-rubber” conversion to decommission the streetcar network and replace it with trolleybuses.
The last streetcar route departed Vancouver’s streets in 1955. Diesel buses soon joined the fleet, and later came compressed natural gas and diesel-electric hybrid buses. Next year, we’ll begin trialling four fast-charge battery-electric buses on the 100 Marpole Loop/22nd Street Station route.
Our trolleybus fleet today consists of 262 forty- and sixty-foot buses built by New Flyer. We’re the only transit system in Canada that operates trolleybuses and our fleet is one of the largest in North America!
Does this mean these special rides end at 4 p.m., or is that the time of the last departure from the starting point?
How far will these trips run from the downtown starting point?
Hi Ian, the special rides end at 4 p.m., so last departure will be before 3:30 p.m. As I mentioned in the post, we expect the rides to be very popular, so best get there as early as possible to ensure you get on. :) P.S. I’ve updated the post to include this information.
Allen, it was smart to put in the stop numbers! :)
I see you corrected the route numbers since first posting, to 6 Fraser and 15 Cambie. :) The route numbers were introduced in 1952, and the Fraser remained #6 until 1986, when it became #8.
Yep, always keeping us on our toes! :)
Is there any chance i can see this bus somewhere else like a museum after this event?
Hi Andy, not at this time. However, I do know the Transit Museum Society does fan trips regularly with their fleet of historical buses. You can visit https://www.transitmuseumsociety.org/ for more information.