2022-2027 Customer Experience Action Plan

An Open Letter to Customers: Introducing TransLink’s next Customer Experience Action Plan 

At TransLink, our customers are at the heart of everything we do every day. It’s a responsibility that fills us with pride and is reflected in our customer promise: to always put you first: your safety, your time, and your connection to the people and places that matter most.

We know the pandemic has forever changed the way you work, travel, and move throughout the region – and as we begin to move beyond the pandemic, the time is right to refocus our efforts and further improve and evolve how we deliver exceptional customer experiences. That’s why I’m so proud to let you know about TransLink’s new Customer Experience Action Plan, which outlines how we will deliver transit that is faster and more reliable, easier to use, more personalized, safer and more comfortable, and helps make our communities better. This is a plan for all of our diverse customers throughout the Metro Vancouver region.

The Customer Experience Plan includes 40 major projects and initiatives. Here are some highlights I'm particularly excited about:

• More contactless payment options and a modernized Compass system that allows more personalization

• More real-time information on our system, our website and throughout our smartphone alerts, and more multi-lingual signage

• Improving the speed and reliability of our buses by advancing bus stop balancing and introducing new RapidBus routes

• Opening more washrooms on the system, and improving amenities at bus stops and exchanges, including additional lighting, all-weather shelters, seating, and accessibility

• Offering special seasonal bus services to accommodate travel to regional parks, beaches, and destinations

• Easier booking for HandyDART customers

• Implementing our Climate Action Strategy to advance a zero-emission bus fleet

Building off the foundation was set in our first Customer Experience Action Plan which was released in 2019, and off your important feedback as customers who use our transit system, this new Action Plan will guide us over the next five years. New to this plan is a customer journey map to help focus our work and ensure that we are putting our resources and investments into projects and initiatives that make an impact to the key moments that matter for you. We know that every time you take a journey with us, it is an opportunity for us to make a positive impression and continually improve your experience.

We received more than 1,200 ideas from our customers and incorporated the ideas of our front-line transit workers. We undertook extensive research of other transit systems, and other sectors, to help us better understand our customers unique needs and preferences. Through our engagement, we’ve heard that there are five priority areas that matter to you most: making transit services more personalized, making transit use easier, making transit timelier and more reliable, creating a safer and more pleasant experience, and offering you better reasons to take transit over using a vehicle.

As restrictions ease, we are excited to welcome you back to a transit service that is more than just getting you from point A to point B. It’s about collectively tackling climate change, delivering exceptional experiences, and continuing to evolve to your unique needs. We are committed to measuring the impact of our investments and will ensure that your feedback continues to help guide every decision we make.

To our half a million customers across Metro Vancouver, we look forward to serving you even better moving forward.

- Kevin Quinn

Hi Metro Vancouver,

I hope you’re all enjoying summer and getting out to explore by transit, walking, and cycling. Through our summer Ride and Shine campaign, we are encouraging Metro Vancouverites to get out of their cars and experience the best of their neighbourhoods on transit. There are many great offers to local attractions just by showing your Compass Card!

After launching our Customer Experience Action Plan in March, I’m excited to share some updates with you on the great progress TransLink has made this past quarter to enhance the experience across the system.

Bike Bus Summer Program

With the goal of better serving the changing needs of our customers and after hearing extensive feedback, we launched an hourly summer Bike Bus service. This specialty pilot bus serves Bridgeport Station to and from the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal to better connect cyclists with summer ferry sailings – one of the most popular routes for our cycling customers.

The Bike Bus is retrofitted with seven interior bicycle racks, bringing the total bike capacity aboard to nine, from the standard of two. The Bike Bus runs on Fridays, weekends, and holidays from July 1 (Canada Day) to Sept 5 (Labour Day), 2022 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. As a person who loves to get out and explore with my family, it’s exciting to be able to launch this kind of initiative. It’s also important for TransLink to continue looking at innovative ways to serve our diverse range of customers.

If you get out this summer and board the Bike Bus, we would love to hear what you think. Please email cxideas@translink.ca or leave your feedback by scanning the QR code on the inside of the Bike Bus.

Transit Volunteers

Just over a month ago, we launched a call for our new Community Volunteer Program to help customers connect with communities and have the best possible experience using the transit system. In just a week of launching the call, we saw over 170 applications submitted, far outpacing our initial expectations.

Trained volunteers will be stationed outside Fare Paid Zones at key transit hubs in their own communities. Look for the volunteers on the system beginning July 23. Transit volunteers will help enhance our customer experience by adding a welcoming presence to the transit system, answering questions, and helping direct riders during busy community events.

Thank you to all our volunteers! Seeing the amount of transit riders who have volunteered their time to make the transit experience better for others is incredibly heartwarming.

If you’re interested in getting involved, it isn’t too late to apply! Head to the Community Transit Volunteers page and submit your application today.

Art Moves

In mid-May, we launched a new performance residency program called Art Moves to bring more art and culture to our system while creating a safer and more pleasant system to travel on. This new program features 26 local musicians and artists performing at five different transit hubs across the region throughout the summer:

• Waterfront SkyTrain Station

• Londsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal

• Surrey Central SkyTrain Station

• Coquitlam Centre SkyTrain Station

• Bridgeport Bus Exchange

Our resident performer for the month of July is Della Kit and friends. She is a singer/songwriter and DJ who offers playful melodies over energetic rhythms with a magnetic presence. Head to the Art Moves page to find more information on the resident artists and performance schedule.

Transit Alerts Enhancements

In response to customer feedback, we’ve been working on enhancements to our transit alert subscription center. Within the next few weeks, we’ll be launching the ability to sign up for station alerts including elevator, escalator and walkway disruptions and outages. This will greatly benefit customers who rely on timely communication of alerts for trip planning and accessing transit stations. We’ll also be launching a new user interface design allowing customers to set delivery time and preferences, providing a more personalized and relevant experience for alert subscribers.

It’s been a busy few months for us at TransLink, but we couldn’t be more excited to continue enhancing the experience for our customers. As I mentioned in my last quarterly customer update, we are committed to measuring the impact of our investments and want to hear from you so we can ensure that your feedback continues to help guide every decision we make. After all, you’re at the heart of everything we do, and you’re the reason we continue to find ways to serve you better. Please email cxideas@translink.ca with any feedback or suggestions you may have on how we can make your experience as a customer even better.

All the best,
Kevin Quinn