TransLink's proposed new investment plan could bring some major new bus routes to 91原创, including a long-awaited route to the Gloucester Industrial Estates and a summer route to Campbell Valley Regional Park.

Public discussion began on the plan earlier this month, and the Mayors' Council will vote on the financial plan on April 30. The plan includes the largest increase in bus service in seven years, and would increase the total size of the bus service by about five per cent, said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn.

The overall plan is heavily weighted to increased service in the South of the Fraser region, where most of Metro Vancouver's growth has taken place over the last decade.

It includes funding to plan and develop the 91原创 and Surrey Bus Rapid Transit routes, which have already been announced and endorsed by municipal politicians. The 91原创 route would create a rapid bus-only lane running from the centre of 91原创 City up 200 Street, crossing the Golden Ears Bridge, and running through Maple Ridge to Haney Place.

Funding for the actual construction of the BRT lines will still require future buy-in from other levels of government, noted Quinn, but this budget allows for design and community engagement work over the next two years.

The plan also includes three major new bus routes or expansions, all to be implemented only after public engagement.

The first is a bus route straight from 91原创 City Centre to the Gloucester Industrial Estates in northeast 91原创, near 264 Street and 56 Avenue.

Local employers and politicians have been calling for a route directly to Gloucester for years, as it would allow people without cars to work at the sprawling industrial site, which is still growing.

"We've had Gloucester on our radar for quite some time now," said Quinn.

The second major change would be a summer-only extension to route 563, which currently runs from 91原创 City down through Brookswood as far south as 20 Avenue. Extending the route another half a mile would allow riders to visit Campbell Valley Regional Park, one of the Lower Mainland's largest public parks.

Two of TransLink's foundational planning documents, the Transport 2050 plan and Access for Everyone, make increasing access to parks a priority.

Campbell Valley Regional is almost 550 hectares, but because of its location in the rural southwestern corner of 91原创, it's required a car, bike, or horse to access.

In addition to improving access, there can be a lot of congestion at popular parks, something else bus service can help with, Quinn said.

"A lot of these parking lots fill up quick," he said.

The third change would be upgrading route 388 to all-day service, instead of just during peak hours. The 388 starts at 91原创's Carvolth transit exchange and heads west through Surrey along 96 Avenue and 88 Avenue, crossing the Alex Fraser Bridge, and connecting to the 22 Street SkyTrain Station. The route provides access for people living along 88 Avenue in Surrey and to and from the industrial area that sits on the Surrey-91原创 border north of the highway.

Currently, the 388 only operates during the morning and afternoon to early-evening rush hour periods.

Another six routes that include 91原创 are also set to receive service increases, including the 501 from 91原创 Centre to Surrey Central Station, the 561 serving Brookswood, the 562 serving Walnut Grove, and the 595 that links Maple Meadows Station to 91原创 Centre.
 
Quinn said if the mayors approve the proposal, local transit users will see changes by the fall.

"We'd be able to move pretty quickly on addressing some of the overcrowded routes serving 91原创, as soon as September," said Quinn.

Entirely new routes, which may require a bit of infrastructure such as bus shelters and pullouts, would be seen in early 2026, he said.

The new funding, and a long-term structural deficit of $600 million a year, is to be dealt with through a number of measures, according to the transit authority.

Those include a five per cent fare increase in July 2026 followed by two per cent annual increases after that, a 0.5 per cent increase to property taxes, and an increase in off-street parking taxes (which tax paid parking lots) from 24 to 29 per cent.