System B-Line Length 13.2 km (8.2 mi) ← {{{previous_line}}} {{{system_nav}}} Start UBC Loop | Began service September 3, 1996 Daily ridership 55,500 (avg. weekday) {{{system_nav}}} {{{next_line}}} → Stops 13 | |
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Transferring from trolleybus 9 alma ubc to 99 b line
The 99 B-Line is an express bus line with bus rapid transit elements in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It travels along Broadway, a major east-west thoroughfare, and connects the University of British Columbia (UBC) to Commercial–Broadway Station on the SkyTrain system. It is operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company and funded by TransLink.
Contents
- Transferring from trolleybus 9 alma ubc to 99 b line
- 99 b line broadway and cambie timelapse 10x speed
- History
- Stops and transfer points
- Beyond CommercialBroadway Station
- References
It is the first and the most popular of the B-Line routes in the regional system. The other B-Lines that followed are based on the 99 B-Line in terms of the use of articulated buses (which can carry 120 passengers) and frequent arrivals for buses. The waiting time for a bus during peak hours on a weekday is 1.5–3 minutes. Most of the buses on this route are built by New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg, Manitoba. On average it takes 42 minutes to complete the entire route, half an hour near the last runs at the end of the night.
As of 2010, the route was the busiest bus route in Canada and the United States, with a 2015 average weekday ridership of 55,500 passengers. This number is up from approximately 45,000 passengers per day in 2007.
99 b line broadway and cambie timelapse 10x speed
History
The 99 B-Line was created to connect UBC to Lougheed Mall in Burnaby via 10th Avenue, Broadway and Lougheed Highway. Then under the jurisdiction of BC Transit, it was launched on September 3, 1996 and started out using a few high-floor articulated buses and regular-sized buses. It became apparent that the regular buses could not handle the demand as this route soon became the most popular route in the system. 60-foot low-floor articulated buses were introduced in the summer of 1998, dedicated to this route and with a distinctive B-Line livery. During rush hours, the B-Line uses curb lanes designated as bus lanes on Broadway from Commercial–Broadway Station to Arbutus Street.
An estimated 12,000 passengers per day used the route daily during its first two years of operation, 30% more than had been estimated. Of that number, 20% of the passengers used to drive to their destination rather than take public transit. Service had to be extended to late-nights, Sundays and holidays.
Service began with a 10-minute headway between UBC and Broadway Station, 10-20 minute headway between UBC and Brentwood Mall, and 30 minute headway between UBC and Lougheed Mall. Frequency was increased as demand increased, but only in the UBC to Broadway Station section, with 7.5 minute headway. Soon the Lougheed Mall section was improved to 15-minute headway. Today the 99 B-Line operates on a 2-minute headway in the morning peak direction, with a 4.5 minute day base headway.
In the late 1990s, the British Columbia government approved the construction of a new SkyTrain line called the Millennium Line. This new line replaced the eastern portion of the 99 B-Line, from Broadway Station to its old terminus at Lougheed Mall. It opened in 2002, with the 99 B-Line now terminating at Commercial–Broadway Station (combined Broadway Station of the Expo Line and Commercial Drive Station of the Millennium Line).
As the fair bulk of the route's riders are students at UBC, the introduction of the U-Pass in 2003, a discounted bus pass for university students, put even more strain on the route's resources. A peak-hour B-Line route called the #99 Special was introduced in 2004, featuring non-stop service to UBC during the morning rush hours and to Broadway Station during evening rush hours. This route's "non-stop" moniker was revoked in 2005 to supply more stops along the corridor, and was discontinued completely in January 2006 to make way for a new route that is about as fast as the #99 Special, the #84, which operates from UBC to the new VCC–Clark Station. This new route is supposed to take some pressure off the 99 B-Line. Additionally, curb lanes on Broadway have been converted into bus lanes for rush-hour periods.
On June 25, 2007, the 99 B-Line route became the first route in the TransLink system to allow passengers with valid proof of payment to board using any of the three doors at any stop. To facilitate this, the bus driver controls the operation of all three doors at each of the stops. Passengers who are paying cash must board through the front door. Fare Enforcement is carried out by Transit Security Officers. Transit Security Officers may board the bus at any time to conduct a Fare Inspection. Passengers without valid fare could be removed from the bus or fined.
Stops and transfer points
Beyond Commercial–Broadway Station
Before SkyTrain's Millennium Line was opened, the 99 B-Line served these stops in addition to the ones above.