Credit: Conceptual illustration of BRT
Surrey Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Learn about Surrey's plans for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along King George Boulevard.
Surrey intends to be one of the first cities in the region with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
Through dedicated bus lanes and rail-like stations, BRT will provide Surrey residents with fast, frequent and high-capacity transit service along King George Boulevard.
On November 16, 2023, TransLink announced that Surrey’s King George Boulevard from Surrey Centre to White Rock was one of three corridors selected for further planning work.
See more videos of examples of BRT from other places.
About BRT
BRT is a bus-based, rapid transit service used in many cities worldwide to provide residents with a fast and efficient way to travel.
BRT is more advanced than existing RapidBus (previously known as B-line) and includes:
- dedicated lanes for buses with signal priority at intersections for faster travel times
- higher capacity buses running frequently with extended hours for shorter wait times
- dedicated stations with offboard fare collection, quick and convenient access platforms, advanced real time information, wayfinding, and lighting for a safer and more efficient transit experience.
BRT makes sense
Surrey needs more and faster transit now.
With high gas prices, a climate emergency, and increasing traffic on the roads, it’s important that Surrey residents have transit options sooner rather than later.
BRT makes sense along King George Boulevard for the following reasons:
- BRT is much quicker to plan and build than rail options
- BRT is more economical to build since it’s built at street level
- BRT will build on the success of the existing R1 King George Boulevard RapidBus, one of the fastest growing bus routes in the region
- BRT will support residential and commercial growth planned along this corridor to serve 133,000 additional residents and 42,000 new jobs (based on updated land use plans for City Centre, Newton Town Centre, King George Blvd – South Newton Neighbourhood, and Semiahmoo Town Centre)
- Much of King George Boulevard features an existing right-of-way which can accommodate BRT lanes and stations without significantly impacting traffic
- BRT can support potential future SkyTrain expansion
Surrey's BRT route
The map shows the City of Surrey's preferred BRT route, approximately 21 kilometres in length (one way). View map as high-resolution PDF.
Timeline
Surrey will begin working with TransLink on the service and infrastructure concept designs in early 2024 and keep the public updated through this webpage.
The timeline for construction and operation is still to be determined.
BRT example from Brampton
BRT example from Calgary
Resources
- TransLink's BRT webpage
- Bus Rapid Transit on King George Boulevard (Corporate Report - Oct 16, 2023)
Contact
If you have questions or comments, contact 604-591-4340 or EngWebmail@surrey.ca