My take on TransLink’s Service Rationalization Initiative in Richmond

Anyone who lives in Vancouver knows how poorly Translink, the organization in charge of Metro Vancouver's roads and transit, is managed and financed. Congestion is severe on all connecting arteries across the Fraser River. Buses are not reliable anywhere outside of Vancouver. It has too many executives earning high salaries even though it barely has enough money to maintain current service levels. Because Translink is too cash-strapped to improve its service, it rolled out a so called Service Rationalization Initiative where service is cut in one area to improve in another. Translink can still make more adjustments to further improve the efficiency of its services, as there are still many more routes that are underserved. Below is how I would change bus services in Richmond. I only focus on Richmond because this is where I live.

405 Cambie/Five Road changed to 405 Brighouse Staion/Five Road
Buses will only run between Brighouse Station and Riverside Industrial Park. The route will be served by community shuttles instead of regular diesel buses. Service levels and special AM/PM routings will remain the same. Passengers on Cambie can board 410, which runs more frequently.

C96 East Cambie/Brighouse Station changed to C96 Knight and Marine/Brighouse Station
Buses will no longer route to International Place and instead have a new terminus at Knight and Marine. There will be alternate routing via Vulcan Way during peak periods. Service will improve to 30min frequency everyday. Customers from the East Cambie area can board 410. New routing will be as follows:

Towards Knight and Marine: From Brighouse Station Bay 1, Three Road, Lansdowne, Garden City, Alderbridge, Four Road, Cambie, Five Road, McNeely, Jack Bell Dr., Jacombs, Cambie, Six Road, Bridgeport, Knight Street Bridge, off ramp to Marine. During peak periods, it routes from Bridgeport at Viking via Viking, Vulcan, Sweden, Bridgeport, Knight St Bridge, off ramp to Marine.

Towards Brighouse Station: From Knight and Marine, Marine, Knight St Bridge, Bridgeport, Six Road, Cambie, Jacombs, Jack Bell Dr., McNeely, Five Road, Cambie, Four Road, Alderbridge, Garden City, Lansdowne, Three Road, Saba. During peak periods, it routes from Knight St Bridge via Bridgeport, Sweden, Vulcan, Viking, Bridgeport, then regular route.

410 Railway
Last trip departing Brighouse Station on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays will leave at 1:44am to allow better connections for passengers who took the last Canada line train from Vancouver.

407 Brigeport/Gilbert changed to 407 Brighouse Station/Gilbert
All trips will only go as far as Brighouse Station and no longer route towards Knight and Marine via Bridgeport. This route, along with 402, will become a circular route that will coexist with one another. New routing as follows:

From Chatham at 2nd Ave, via Chatham, One Road, Moncton, Two Road, Blundell, Three Road to Brighouse Station Bay 2, then continue on Three Road, Westminster, Gilbert, Steveston, 4th Ave, Chatham.

Service improves to every 10 min during morning peak periods, every 20min midday, every 15min during evening peak periods, and every 30min during other periods. Passengers who normally take this bus on Bridgeport can board the 430. C96 provides bus service on Vulcan way during peak periods.

402 Two Road/Brighouse Station
Like the 407, this route becomes a circular route that starts and stops at Chatham and 2nd Ave, but running at opposite direction. Buses run every 15min during morning rush hour, every 20min during midday, every 10min during afternoon peak periods, and 30min during other periods.

From Chatham at 2nd Ave, via Chatham, 4th Ave, Steveston, Gilbert, Westminster, Three Road, Saba to Brighouse Station Bay 4, then continue on Saba, Buswell, Cook, Three Road, Blundell, Two Road, Moncton, One Road, Chatham.

Ideally, both circular routes should start and end at Brighouse Station, but due to the lack of a bus loop, I've relocated it to Chatham at 2nd Ave.

430 Brighouse Station/Metrotown Station
Improves to 20min frequency from 9am to 3pm on weekdays, 9am to 6pm on weekends and holidays. Eastbound buses now stop at Garden City at Lansdowne (52081) and Garden City at Alexandra (52082). Westbound buses now stop at Garden Ciy as Leslie (59621) and Garden City at Alderbridge (59622). Service hours extended to late night everyday. However, after 9:30pm, all buses will short turn at Knight and Marine and head back towards Brighouse Station.

C94 Richmond Oval/Brighouse Station
Route canceled.

401 One Road
Added one trip departing Riverport at 11:46pm.

Stop at Three Road and Saba (56452) removed.
It makes no sense to have this stop when the previous one (Brighouse Station) is located one block south, less than 50m away.

So there you go, my suggestions for improving bus services. Most of the changes involve removing repetition and routes with low ridership. The reason for removing 405 from running on Cambie is because there's no point in having 3 routes running on Cambie when most people only take 410. It's the same idea with 407, since as of now it runs hourly on the Bridgeport portion of the route, so people are inclined to take the more convenient 430 bus. Turning both 402 and 407 into circular routes and having them run opposite direction of each other will make service operations more efficient as you achieve the same service levels with less buses. I know my ideas aren't perfect, so feel free to comment or critique. ^_^