Tips, Tools and Benefits for Taking Transit to Work
Taking transit to work couldn't be a more obvious choice for your commute. With one of the world's longest (68.7 km!) automated light rapid transit system in the world at our fingertips, TransLink's made it pretty easy for most of us to zip across, around and through town. While the SkyTrain gets a lot of love, especially in the wake of the Winter Olympics and the unveiling of the new Canada Line, let's not forget the busses, community shuttles, SeaBus and the West Coast Express that give us access to nearly every neighbourhood in every corner of Metro Vancouver.
Transit 101
If you're new to Metro Vancouver or just new to public transit, watch these Transit 101 clips where you'll meet Sarah, who'll tell you about transit zones, how to buy tickets, where the security phones are and lots of other handy hints, like using your mobile phone to find out when the next bus is coming. So sit back, press play and get ready for some useful tips for your next transit trip!
Benefits of Commuting by Transit
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Convenient - 85% of Metro Vancouverites have a bus stop within 400 metres of their home. Need to work overtime and miss the regularly scheduled bus? Don't worry - catch a NightBus. These night-time buses extend from downtown throughout the city and into several suburbs including Richmond, Surrey, UBC, SFU, Coquitlam, North Vancouver and others.
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Easy to Plan - Use TransLink's Trip Planner tool to find the right bus at the right time, and make it to work while your colleagues are still looking for parking.
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Budget-friendly - With public transit being an affordable option, many don't need a car to get around for work or play - plus save on gas and parking! Single transit fares are obviously available, but save even more money by using one of the various passes or bulk buying programs to make trips even cheaper.
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Special fares - There are programs for employers and students, and special Faresaver tickets along with DayPasses and Monthly Passes.
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Environmentally-friendly - Transit is one of the fastest and most effective ways of reducing your personal carbon footprint. By using public transit instead of a car for a 20-mile round trip, you'll reduce CO2 emissions by 4,800 lbs/year. Plus, by not taking your car, you help reduce traffic, which decreases idling time (a huge source of pollution!) and help make traffic go that much quicker.
85% of Metro Vancouverites have a bus stop within 400 metres of their home.
Transit Tools
We have tools, apps and widgets to keep you connected and make using transit that much easier.
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Trip Planner: Use this tool to enter your start and end points, including arrival or departure times, and it'll give you the best options to get you where you need to go.
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Trip Planner Widget: Use html code to embed a mini-version of the Trip Planner onto your website, blog or company intranet to help your employees or customers get around on transit. It's free!
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Google Transit: This is an alternative tool to help you plan your trip, providing directions for transit, driving and walking.
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Next Bus: This tool will tell you when the next six buses are scheduled to arrive at any given stop. Simply text the five-digit stop number to 33333. Don't know your stop number? Next Bus also has a Stop Lookup tool.
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Mobile site: Use our mobile site, m.translink.ca to find schedule information, use Next Bus, or plan a trip with our mobile trip planner.
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iPhone app: This free app lets you store your favourite stops, get schedule information, search for nearby bus stops, and more.
Do you enjoy the benefits of taking transit for your daily commute? Share your experiences or start a conversation with other users about this commuting option by submitting a comment below.