As we head into 2023, let’s look back at some of the exciting and innovative steps that TransLink took in 2022 to improve the customer experience across the system. 2022 has indeed been a year of many firsts. 

Our first-ever sweepstakes was a huge success. Through March 2022, every transit journey taken using a Compass Card registered for Tap In to Win earned customers an entry for a chance at some amazing prizes! Yinuo, one of our regular transit riders, won the grand prize, a $10,000 flight voucher.

We also launched our first-ever music and performance residency series, Art Moves, on our system! Each month’s artist in residence brought newfound vibrancy to the transit system in their own unique way. Customers experienced everything from musicians and singalongs on the SeaBus, to dance crews and sketch artists.

Our commitment is to continuously improve the experience our customers when using transit. Opening our new TransLink Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station does just that. The centre is located where all our transit services meet, and is conveniently situated next to the cruise ship terminal at Canada Place and Helijet heliport.

Over at Lonsdale Quay, two bus seats competed for our customers’ votes to determine which was preferred for our new battery-electric buses.

We also made the region we love a better home with new ideas and bold plans.

During the summer months, our Ride and Shine bus popped up at events throughout the region, including Car Free Days and sponsored community festivals. We increased service to popular summer destinations, and partnered with local businesses to highlight some of the incredible transit-friendly staycation spots. To help customers find their way to the events, transit volunteers acted as neighbourhood guides outside our SkyTrain stations.

The Bike Bus operated between Bridgeport Station and the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, providing extra room for bicycles travelling to and from the ferries. It brought the total bike capacity on the four designated Bike Buses up to nine from the standard two.

We challenged the people of Metro Vancouver to leave their car behind and “take transit for the planet” on Earth Day, April 22. We also partnered with the SCRAP-IT program to offer a Compass Card rebate for people who scrap their old fossil fuel cars.

And ever mindful of the footprint we leave behind, we have begun planning towards a cleaner future.

The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation and TransLink’s Board of Directors adopted Transport 2050, the region’s new 30-year transportation strategy — setting the stage for new major investments and policies.

We also released our Climate Action Strategy and Climate Action Plan. The strategy set a goal for us to become a climate-resilient and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) transit system by 2050. The action plan outlines what we’ll do over the next three years to achieve that goal, addressing the climate emergency and meeting those ambitious climate targets for the transit system.

In a move to help local businesses tackle real problems and make a positive impact on the climate, we launched the Transit-Friendly Employer Certification. This program recognizes leading organizations for making employee travel easy, affordable, and climate friendly.

The arrival of the first of 15 additional battery-electric buses marks an important step in this journey. Customers will be able to tap in to these buses starting in early 2023.

2022 has been exciting but there is still more work to do.  We welcome 2023 with a promise of new and exciting initiatives making your experience on transit even better!