The R1 King George Blvd is an

express bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

with bus rapid transit elements in

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and Corporation, corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as o ...

, British Columbia, Canada. Part of TransLink's RapidBus network, it travels along

King George Boulevard King George Boulevard (formerly known as King George Highway) is a major arterial road in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The route begins at Highway 99, north of the Peace Arch Border Crossing with the United States, and runs generally nor ...

and 104 Avenue in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

and connects

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

Whalley / City Centre Whalley is the most densely populated and urban of the six town centres in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It encompasses City Centre, the city's central business district, and is home to the Surrey City Hall, the main branch of Surrey Libra ...

, and

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

. The service replaced the 96 B-Line on January 6, 2020. It is operated by

Coast Mountain Bus Company Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) is the contract operator for bus transit services in Metro Vancouver Regional District, Metro Vancouver and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority, known local ...

and funded by TransLink. All articulated buses used on this route are hybrid and air-conditioned. Although articulated buses are mainly assigned, standard buses may be assigned instead.

History

Origins of what became the 96 B-Line can be traced back to 2008–2009, when the route was known as the 399 in planning stages. Originally planned for a 2010 implementation using resources from the 98 B-Line, which was slated to be discontinued, implementation of a south of the Fraser River B-Line did not happen until four years later due to a funding shortfall. The line began service on September 2, 2013. Continuous queue jumping lanes were subsequently added at major intersections along King George Boulevard and the City of Surrey proposed expanding bus-only lanes along King George Blvd to improve travel times. , passengers with a Compass Card or proof of payment are allowed to board from any of the three doors on the bus. Passengers who are paying cash must board through the front door. On January 6, 2020, the 96 B-Line service was replaced by new R1 King George Blvd RapidBus, which featured upgraded passenger amenities such as improved bus shelters and a new

passenger information system A passenger information system, or passenger information display system, is an automated system for supplying users of public transport with information about the nature and the state of a public transport service through visual, voice or other m ...

. The R1 King George Blvd RapidBus was the seventh busiest bus route in TransLink's network in 2024, with 5,163,000 total boardings.

Route description

Departing from

Guildford Exchange Guildford Exchange is a major public transit exchange serving Guildford Town Centre in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Opened on May 30, 1975, it is a connection point for routes serving the Whalley, Fleetwood, Guildford and Cloverdale areas of ...

, the R1 travels west along 104 Avenue towards

Surrey Central station Surrey Central is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located in the Whalley / City Centre district of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, just east of the North Surrey Recrea ...

and

King George station King George is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located in the south end of the Surrey City Centre district of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, and is one of the outbound ...

(both on the SkyTrain Expo Line). It then continues south along King George Boulevard towards

Newton Exchange Newton Exchange is a bus loop located in the central Newton area of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. As part of the TransLink system, it serves Newton with routes to Surrey City Centre, North Delta, Richmond, Langley City and White Rock, whic ...

Stops

– serves

Guildford Town Centre Guildford Town Centre is a shopping mall located in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It opened on November 8, 1966, and is owned by Ivanhoé Cambridge, a Quebec-based real estate company. It is the largest mall in the Lower Mainland south of the F ...

and Guildford Recreation Centre. It is a major transfer point for other routes serving Surrey, Langley, and White Rock. * 148 Street * 144 Street – serves Hawthorne Rotary Park * 140 Street * Whalley Boulevard *

– connects to the Expo Line and also serves Central City,

SFU Surrey Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

, KPU Civic Plaza, the

Surrey City Centre Public Library The Surrey City Centre Library is the main branch of Surrey Libraries (Surrey, British Columbia's public library system). It was opened in September 2011 and replaced the Whalley Public Library. Part of a re-vitalization project for the City Cen ...

and Surrey City Hall. Also a major transfer point for other routes serving Surrey, Langley, Aldergrove, Delta, and White Rock. *

– connects to the Expo Line and serves

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that lies within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and largely surrounds its namesake park, Holland Park. Colloquially referred to as 'Millionaire's Row', ...

and

King George Hub King George Hub is a mixed-use development with retail, office and residential high-rises in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, located at the northeast corner of King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway in the Surrey City Centre district. Develop ...

* 96 Avenue – serves

Surrey Memorial Hospital Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) is a publicly funded hospital owned and operated by Fraser Health in the city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, adjacent to King George Boulevard. Overview Surrey Memorial Hospital began operations in early 1959 ...

and

Queen Elizabeth Secondary School Queen Elizabeth Secondary is a public high school in Surrey, British Columbia part of School District 36 Surrey. The school is named after Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who first visited Canada in 1939. It was ranked 248 of 516 according to ...

* 88 Avenue – serves Bear Creek Park and the Surrey Arts Centre * 80 Avenue * 76 Avenue – serves Kings Cross shopping plaza as well as other retail *

– serves Newton Town Centre and is a major transfer point for other local services to Surrey, Langley and White Rock and express service to Richmond

Notes

References

External links

TransLink

Timetable

Route diagram
{{TransLink Services, state_skytrain=collapsed, state_bus=uncollapsed RapidBus (TransLink) Transport in Surrey, British Columbia 2013 establishments in British Columbia