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The essential guide to riding TransLink during the winter months

The essential guide to riding TransLink during the winter months

People walking along Hastings Street with bus passing by

Sign up for Transit Alerts

We’ll text you, bestie. 🥰

Transit Alerts is your one-stop shop to find out if there are any changes to your route, whether you’re riding bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus, West Coast Express, or HandyDART.

Create an account and we’ll text or email you updates as they happen, so you can know before you go.

Plan ahead and sign up for personalized alerts at translink.ca/alerts.

Plan your trip (once more) using Trip Planner

Even if you know your route inside out and back again, now is good time to brush up on your route with Trip Planner. We update schedules four times a year as part of our Transit Service Changes to deliver more reliable and new services.

There might now be other ways to travel to your destination, or you might be able to leave a little bit later to get to work or school on time. In preparation for inclement weather, it’s also good to know your options in case buses are detoured.

Tell us where you’re starting from and where you want to go at translink.ca/tripplanner and we’ll find the best route to get you there.

Get real-time transit information

Using satellite tracking on buses, Next Bus gives you real-time transit information by estimating when the next vehicle will depart from your stop, based on its last reported location.

Use Next Bus online to find real time and scheduled bus information, or have text messages sent to your smartphone with Next Bus SMS. Text your bus stop number, and up to two bus route numbers, to 33333 (Std msg rates may apply) and we’ll send you the next two departure times for those routes.

You can also access this information on the Transit app, along with bus capacity predictions telling you if there’s room to ride based on historical trends.

Customer using the Transit app onboard the Burrard Chinook SeaBus

Dress warmly and be prepared to wait

Conditions can change rapidly and our buses are only as reliable as the roads they travel on. A sudden dump of snow can make routes impassable for our buses until they’re plowed by city crews.

Dress in layers as temperatures fluctuate throughout the day and mode you’re travelling on. Staying comfortable can be crucial to your transit commute.

All for extra commuting time

We prioritize safety above all else. Operators will drive slower and with added caution during adverse weather to keep customers safe. Contractors are salting and sanding. Transit Supervisors are doing what they can to help keep buses moving as reliably as possible.

A Transit Supervisor shovels snow to help buses keep moving

Walk, don’t run

There’s a time and a place to get your cardio in and running for transit isn’t one of them. Go slow and step carefully, the floors may be slippery. When it’s snowing or icy, wear shoes with good grip.

Take it slow. The floors may be slippery.

TransLink

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