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1954-built trolleybus hits Vancouver roads for 70th anniversary

TransLink to offer free rides on a retrofitted electric trolley bus to commemorate anniversary
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Pictured is a restored version of a 1954 Brill Trolley from the Transit Museum Society of British Columbia (Photo by Kieran O’Connor/Black Press Media)

TransLink brought back a flash from the past for the 70th anniversary of their electric trolley bus fleet.

To mark the day in history, the Transit Museum of British Columbia has restored a 1954 Brill Trolley bus for the public to ride for free on Saturday, Aug. 18 and Friday, Aug. 24.

The bus will run on a downtown circuit, picking up passengers every half hour at the following stops:

  • Southbound from Victory Square – Cambie St. at Hastings St. (stop #50410)
  • Burrard Station – Burrard St. at Melville St. (#50043)
  • Burrard St. at Robson St. (#50045)
  • Davie St. at Howe St. (#50011)
  • Seymour St. at Pender St. (#61519)
  • Waterfront Station – Cordova St. at Richards St.

“Vancouver is one of the few cities in North America where trolley buses have endured” said Coast Mountain Bus Company’s President Mike McDaniel in a TransLink press release.

In 2017, TransLink’s electric trolley bus fleet delivered more than 69 million earth-friendly rides.

There are currently 262 buses on 13 routes, making Vancouver’s trolley fleet the only one in Canada and third-largest in North America.

“Trolleys have delivered billions of bus rides using clean, renewable energy. In coming years, our goal is to take those benefits region-wide through the electrification of our fleet.”

In 2019, TransLink will test four zero-emission electric-battery buses as part of an extensive trial to move into a complete zero-emission bus fleet.

TransLink will also complete their Low Carbon Fleet Strategy next year, which will map their transition towards a zero-carbon bus fleet by 2050.


@kieranroconnor
kieran.oconnor@bpdigital.ca

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