Why are 40 trolley buses parked despite a shortage on routes in Vancouver and Burnaby? Open letter to BC MLAs by Nathan Davidowicz offers questions and solutions.

Above: A TransLink electric trolley bus, like the 40 that are currently sitting idle.

CityHallWatch is sharing this letter by long-time transit advocate Nathan Davidowicz.

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Dear Members of Legislative Assembly representing Vancouver and Burnaby:

In case you are not aware, TransLink has parked 40 trolley buses.

During rush hours there used to be 190 to 200 trolley buses operating, but now the number has dropped to only 150 to 160. On some days as few as 120 trolley buses are on the road during the morning rush hours. Using GPS we can track the number of trolley buses deployed.

While Honourable Minister Rob Fleming (Transportation and Infrastructure) is promising $300 million for TransLink to buy more buses, no conditions were attached or disclosed with his announcement.

To confirm, please see:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024MOTI0051-000581
https://x.com/Rob_Fleming/status/1780735045873119414
https://x.com/Rob_Fleming/status/1780735050470101146
https://x.com/Rob_Fleming/status/1780671708082356237

We need to put back these 40 trolley buses to work on Vancouver and Burnaby trolley bus routes. Ridership is almost back to the pre-COVID levels on many trolley bus routes (see “TransLink ridership rebounds…”).

Overall system-wide boardings in February 2024 were reportedly at 31.9 million vs February 2019 at 32.5 million. But for some unexplained reason, TransLink does not provide the monthly trolley bus boardings,
in contrast to other cities that use trolley buses (e.g., Seattle, San Francisco,, Philadelphia, Dayton).

Trolley buses are the workhorse of our transit system, carrying around 25% of total regional ridership prior to COVID.

Image: A double-articulated electric trolley bus with IMC technology. Source: https://www.ville-rail-transports.com/mobilite/le-sytral-met-en-service-ses-premiers-trolleybus-imc/

New technology (in motion charging, or IMC, see image) allows many more trolley buses to be extended, from Vancouver to Burnaby without needing overhead wires.

Top streets as candidates for this would be Hastings (to Duthie and/or SFU), Lougheed to Brentwood, BCIT and/or Sperling), Kingsway (Metrotown to Edmonds), Boundary (Lougheed to Hastings), Willingdon (Metrotown to Hastings).

In Vancouver, an extension along Marine Drive (Main to Victoria) was proposed in 2008, but never implemented (see link here)! MLAs interested in public transit should be asking why.

The result of decisions by TransLink is that trolley buses are now more crowded compared to pre-COVID levels. There are more passengers per trolley bus compared to pre-COVID. The trolley buses are so full that on many corridors riders are being passed by full trolley buses, and have to wait for the next one or even two trolley buses. Many students and other riders reportedly arrive late to classes and appointments.

As another example of a failure by TransLink to deploy trolley buses, is Route No. 3 Main Street, which used to have 19 trolleys during rush hours. It is now down to just 10 trolleys, a reduction of 47%. Policy makers should be pursuing this and asking why.

Other trolley bus routes that have been cut back include Route Nos. 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 16, 17, 19, and 20.

Transit riders would also benefit if TransLink provided many more high-capacity buses (articulated and double decker).

In the short term, one option for TransLink would be to buy USED buses, as soon as possible. Late Premier Dave Barrett did this in the 1970s. He also doubled the bus fleet in just three years.

In contrast, new buses ordered in 2024 will not arrive until 2026 or later, as there is a backlog of orders (see this article in Urbanism Vancouver).

There are two weeks left in this session of B.C. Legislature. Please, on behalf of transit riders in Metro Vancouver, address these important topics.

Yours truly,
Nathan Davidowicz