Commuters treated to a whale-y great morning

While some people dread their Monday morning commute, that was not the case this Monday morning as SeaBus passengers destined for both Downtown and the North Shore were treated to a five-minute whale of a show in the Burrard Inlet. Read more »

Vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Metro Vancouver to visit on transit

While veganism might be a quintessential Vancouver thing, there are options outside of Vancouver that are transit-friendly!

Let’s be honest, vegan-friendly and vegetarian restaurants are hot right now. While veganism might be a quintessential Vancouver thing, there are options outside of Vancouver as well.

With this post, we aim to bring you some vegan-friendly, as well as vegan options in Metro Vancouver that are easily accessible by transit.

Remember, these are just a sampling and we are by no means experts. So, please let us know of other transit-friendly vegan/vegetarian spots we missed. We’d love to try them!

Note: Restaurant timings, menu, and prices may be subject to change. Check each restaurant’s website for exact details.

1. Meet Restaurant (Main St, Yaletown & Gastown)

Location: 4288 Main Street, Vancouver
Transit: Buses 3, 25

Their award-winning menu strikes a chord when it comes to comfort food. The restaurant claims more than half its patrons are meat-eaters trying their hands at vegan options. Try their sweet-chili cauliflower deep fried in beer batter and glazed with a chili ginger sauce.

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#seoulbowl #meetonmain

A post shared by Deneen (Murphy) Cook (@deneen_cook_believes) on May 29, 2018 at 12:41pm PDT

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Fall Service Changes means 6,000 more spaces on transit for our customers!

We’re adding more service hours across Metro Vancouver to help reduce overcrowding.

We hear ya — the transit system is busy!

Last year, Metro Vancouver led Canada and the United States in transit ridership growth with 407 million boardings, and the growth trend has continued into this year.

That’s why we’re adding more service hours across the region to help reduce overcrowding as part of our Fall Service Changes, which begin on Monday, Sept. 3!

We’re adding 100 more trips every day and 6,000 more spaces for our customers — made possible through new investments available through the 10-Year Vision.

More than 20 routes across the region are receiving improvements thanks to this new funding. Among them:

• 23 Beach/Yaletown/Main Street Station
• 25 Brentwood Station/UBC
• 43 Joyce Station/UBC
• 100 22nd Street Station/Marpole Loop
• 319 Scott Road Station/Newton Exchange
• 555 Lougheed Station/Carvolth Exchange

We are also improving several routes as part of the updated Southwest Area Transport Plan, which was finalized in July:

• 104 Annacis island/22nd Street Station
• 401 Richmond-Brighouse Station/One Road
• 406 Richmond-Brighouse Station/Steveston^*NEW*
• 408 Richmond Brighouse/Ironwood/Riverport ^*NEW*
• 410 Richmond Brighouse Station/22nd Street Station
• 418 Richmond-Brighouse Station/Kingswood (formerly C98)

For full details and maps, please visit translink.ca/servicechanges. Stay tuned to The Buzzer blog over the next two weeks as we take a deep dive into other notable changes.

Nearly 250,000 annual bus service hours related to the 10-Year Vision have been added since the start of Phase One. The 10-Year Vision means more transit, better roads, safer cycling and pedestrian access — for everyone.

And we’re just getting started! In June, an investment plan for Phase Two of the 10-Year Vision was approved, unlocking $7.3 billion in new funding. This is the largest investment in transit and transportation in Metro Vancouver’s history!

Know before you go! Plan your trip using our Trip Planner at translink.ca/tripplanner.

Author: Allen Tung

#MyTransLink – August 14

#MyTransLink aims to capture all your beautiful shots of Metro Vancouver

Ding! Ding! Ding! It’s Tuesday, and we are back with our weekly #MyTransLink series on The Buzzer blog where we publish photos taken and published on social media by you – our customers! Each week, we give you a theme and you share your stunning photos by using the hashtag #MyTransLink on Instagram.

#MyTransLink is all about Your Metro Vancouver – whether you take the bus, the SkyTrain, or the SeaBus, make sure you capture those stunning moments and share with us using the hashtag #MyTransLink.

This week, we are stoked about two special events: it’s the 70^th anniversary of our trolleybus network and you can ride the historic 1954 Canadian Car Brill T-48A trolleybus for FREE this week (check the dates and timings). We also have swanky new merchandise that you can buy at the pop-up shop at Waterfront Station this week.

So, for this past week’s #MyTransLink post, we wanted you to share photos of architecture – especially of our transit system! Share your awesome clicks with us using the hashtag #MyTransLink, and we’ll be sure to feature them here. What to submit as next week’s photos? Read on my friends…

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#TakeTransitHome – transit merchandise pop-up shop at Waterfront Station, Aug. 16–18

A trolleybus-themed t-shirt will be among the new items available at the pop-up shop!

Hey Vancouver, this is your transit! A pop-up shop will be popping up at Waterfront Station on August 16, 17 and 18. It’s your chance to pickup merchandise to show off your love for our Metro Vancouver transit system.

We’ve added NEW items to our list of transportation-themed apparel for the pop-up shop, including a t-shirt to commemorate our trolleybuses’ 70th anniversary!

Trolley-themed tee-shirts can be bought at the pop-up shop at Waterfront Station

It’s the 70^th trolleybus anniversary on August 16^th (follow us on social media – Twitter and Facebook – to know details about a special trolley tour). These cool trolleybus-themed tees will instill a sense of pride and nostalgia in you.

The pop-up shop at Waterfront Station will run from:

• August 16^th & 17^th, 8 a.m. to 6 pm
• August 18^th, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

New merchandise can be bought at the pop-up shop at Waterfront Station this weekend

Other new merchandise include a baseball hat with the transit ‘T’ symbol and the popular retro SeaBus t-shirts in two new colors.

The three-day pop-up shop will also sell other items such as:

• Transit-themed pencils
• Station map mugs and mug sets
• Transit vehicle travel mug and other drinkware
• Transit map puzzle and other décor items
• Bus system map umbrella, laptop sleeve and other personal/tech items
• Scale models of a SkyTrain or SeaBus

Whether you are a local, or a tourist to Metro Vancouver, our pop-up shop at the historical Waterfront Station is sure to delight you with numerous options.

So, what are you waiting for? Book your calendar August 16^th to 18^th and come see us at Waterfront Station! Be ready to take transit home!

Can’t make it? This new merchandise is also available on the TransLink Store where all orders now ship from Metro Vancouver!

This automatic open, folding umbrella features a navy exterior with the transit T logo and colourful Vancouver bus system map interior.

Author: Tanushree Pillai

#MyTransLink – August 7

A SkyTrain track is featured in this stock photo from 2017

Hola all you fellow transit enthusiasts! Our favorite day of the week is back and so is #MyTransLink – our series on The Buzzer blog where we publish photos taken and published on social media by you – our customers! Each week, we give you a theme and you share your stunning photos by using the hashtag #MyTransLink on Instagram.

#MyTransLink aims to capture all your beautiful shots of Metro Vancouver. Whether you take the bus, the SkyTrain, or the SeaBus, make sure you capture those stunning moments and share with us using the hashtag #MyTransLink.

So, for this week’s #MyTransLink post, we want you to share photos of architecture – especially of our transit system! Share your awesome clicks with us using the hashtag #MyTransLink, and we’ll be sure to feature them here.

Here are some of last week’s clicks:

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Late Night Train to Waterfront, and showing their age #mytranslink #translink #skytrain #mark1 #retro #vancouver #skytrainstation #skytrainshot #vancity #joycecollingwood #blackandwhite

A post shared by TransitKidJason Productions (@transitkidjason_productions) on Aug 5, 2018 at 12:12am PDT

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Seth Rogen – A Guest Voice on Transit

That’s right, the Vancouver-born actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director has donated his time and love of Metro Vancouver and TransLink in the form of public announcements on our system!

In the coming weeks and into the fall, Seth Rogen’s distinctive voice (and laugh) can be heard on SkyTrain platforms, SkyTrain cars and buses across the region. Seth will be tackling transit etiquette as well as interesting tidbits about Vancouver and his relation to it.

If you don’t already know, Seth grew up in Vancouver using our public transit system and still does so today! We were overjoyed that Seth wanted to help make the customer experience on transit better…and funnier!

We’re also stoked that this idea of having Seth be the guest voice on transit came from our followers on social media and that we were able to make it happen.

Author: Robert Willis

#MyTransLink – July 24

Hello fellow Metro Vancouverites! Hope it’s goin’ swell for you folks out there. It’s Tuesday, and that means it’s time for #MyTransLink.

For our new friends here, #MyTransLink is our series on The Buzzer blog where we publish photos taken and published on social media by you – our customers! You’ve shown us a lot of love by sharing your B.E.A.utiful photos with the hashtag #MyTransLink on Instagram this past week.

As you know, #MyTransLink isn’t just about transit in the Metro Vancouver area. It’s about the amazing sights our cities have to offer and, accordingly, our theme this past week is of places in Metro Vancouver that transit takes you to. Read on to check out all the photos selected from last week and the theme for the week to come!

Summer is the time to go out and explore new areas, visit family and go out with friends. And what better way to do this than now when we have increased bus service.

Our Tap to Pay payment option makes it easier than ever before to pay and be on your way. Remember, Compass cards offer discounted fares if you are a regular transit rider.

If the heat is unbearable and you are looking for some FREE options to beat it, worry not. We compiled a list of some cool kid-friendly spray parks in Metro Vancouver that are easily accessible by transit.

So, for this week’s #MyTransLink post, we asked you to share photos of transit and the sun! We’ve purposely kept the topic general to see what creative shots you come up with. Perhaps you’ll find a nice shot of the sun reflecting off of a SkyTrain. Maybe you’ll snap a pic of a sun flooded bus exchange or depot. Who knows!

Check out the awesome pictures you shot and shared with us last week in this edition of #MyTransLink:

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Time passes by… . . Happy Friday everyone 😊✌🏼 . . . #longexposure #urbanportrait #urbanportraits #streetportraits #moodyports #granvillestreet #new #ourcolourdays #all2epic #visualambassadors #illgrammers #gramslayers #unknownperspectives #vancouver #vancity #vancityfeature #604Now #mixvancouver #vancouverisawesome #vancityvibe #CuriocityVan #street #lighttrails

A post shared by Dave Worden (@instadavew) on Jul 20, 2018 at 7:02am PDT

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Links and Tidbits – July 20, 2018

Links and tidbits is our semi-regular roundup of interesting fodder about transportation from the last few weeks or so. If you have links to contribute, put them in the comments or email us!

» Looks like we are not the only transit enthusiasts here! This global network of Millennials called The Numtots – New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens wants to make cities better.

» A group of digital artists is using aerial images to trace paths of transit lines in their city using bright colors – so, you can get a bird’s eye view of the entire transportation network of that city. Read more »

Lace up your runners for the 34th annual Vancouver Sun Run

On Sunday, April 22, an estimated 40,000+ will lace up their runners and join Canada’s biggest start line for the 34th annual Vancouver Sun Run. To help start your Sun Run on the right foot, we’re adding service to help get you to the event.

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Make sail – construction progresses on TransLink’s newest SeaBus

As part of the Mayors’ Council’s Ten-Year Vision, TransLink’s delivering a new SeaBus, scheduled for delivery early next year! This means more frequent service will be coming between Waterfront Station and Lonsdale Quay with sailings every 10 minutes during rush hour.

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Construction Completed on SeaBus North Terminal East Berth

Big things are happening for SeaBus! Earlier this week, construction completed on the east berth of the north terminal. These 40 year old buildings see approximately 5.84 million boardings each year, and that number is only expected to grow as ridership continues to grow, and we add to the SeaBus fleet.

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Laying the keel on our new SeaBus

In case you haven’t heard, Metro Vancouver is getting a new SeaBus! We recently marked a very important milestone in the ship’s construction. TransLink and Damen Shipyards, the SeaBus’s builder, held a keel-laying ceremony in the Netherlands where the vessel is being built.

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Ahoy mateys! Construction begins for Metro Vancouver’s newest SeaBus

Last week we shared this little gem with you on Facebook and Instagram and asked you to guess what it was. Your answers were amazing!

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SeaBus gets a makeover! An update on rehabilitation work

Have you seen SeaBus’s new look? We’re happy to announce the washrooms at SeaBus are now open!

Last October the washrooms at the north and south SeaBus terminals closed to undergo renovations, including significant accessibility improvements. Last week, we celebrated a SeaBus birthday and opened up these brand new washrooms to the public.

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