R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus

Most Route 130 trips now start and end at Kootenay Loop instead of Phibbs Exchange. Two weekday peak-hour trips continue to Phibbs Exchange.

At other times, customers travelling to or from Phibbs Exchange can connect with the R2 at Kootenay Loop.

Route 130 runs approximately every 10 minutes during peak periods and every 15 to 30 minutes during off-peak periods.

Please visit Route 130’s schedules page to view these upcoming schedule changes

More than 14,000 transit trips are made each day between Phibbs Exchange and Metrotown, and demand along the corridor remains strong. Compared with Route 222’s weekday, peak-only service, the extended R2 provides more frequent, all-day service, seven days a week, with larger, higher-capacity buses.

In Burnaby, it also connects Metrotown, Brentwood Town Centre, and Burnaby Heights with new high-frequency transit service that aligns with the City of Burnaby's Official Community Plan and Transportation Plan.

Route 222 provided weekday peak-only service between Phibbs Exchange and Metrotown. The extended R2 serves all Route 222 stops, along with additional stops, with frequent service throughout the day, seven days a week.

The R2 also continues beyond Phibbs Exchange to the North Shore, giving customers a direct, one-seat ride between Park Royal and Metrotown.

Larger 60-foot buses provide more room on board, and RapidBus features include all-door boarding, accessible loading areas, text-to-audio functionality, and tactile pads.

Route 130 remains in place, providing frequent all-day local service. All off-peak Route 130 trips start and end at Kootenay Loop, while two trips per hour during peak periods continue to Phibbs Exchange. Customers travelling farther can connect with the R2 RapidBus.

No. Nearby development construction is affecting permanent stop locations westbound near Kootenay Loop, Gilmore Avenue, and Willingdon Avenue, and southbound near Goard Way.

Temporary or existing stops will be available at these locations when R2 service begins on Sept. 7. Permanent stops will open once nearby construction is complete.

Visit translink.ca/alerts for the latest stop information.

New stops were added where the spacing between existing stops would be larger than ideal and where there are opportunities to serve more people.

Stops at Hastings and Gilmore better connect customers to the Burnaby Heights neighbourhood and commercial area, Willingdon and Moscrop gives Moscrop Secondary students better transit access, and Willingdon and Kingsway reduces walking distances in a highly populated area.

The R2 includes RapidBus accessibility features such as accessible loading areas, tactile pads, and all-door boarding. Nine Bus Passenger Information Displays (BPIDs) have been installed along the route, providing real-time information and text-to-audio functionality.

Fourteen existing stops along the extension have also been upgraded to improve accessibility and accommodate 60-foot articulated buses.

Travel times will vary depending on traffic and destination. While the R2 makes additional stops compared to Route 222, customers benefit from more frequent service, larger buses, all-door boarding, and service throughout the day and week. Many customers will also benefit from direct, one-seat travel that eliminates transfers.

Most R2 trips will travel the full route between Park Royal and Metrotown. As with other RapidBus routes, a small number of trips may start or end partway along the route as buses enter or leave service. These are most likely to occur in the earliest and latest hours of service before 6 a.m. and after 1 a.m. on weekdays, and after 11:00 p.m. on weekends.

The destination sign will show where the bus is travelling to. For trips ending at Phibbs Exchange, this will be “R2 Willingdon to Phibbs Exchange” or “R2 Marine Drive to Phibbs Exchange” depending on the direction of travel.

During heavy traffic, accessing the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, R2 buses may take an alternate route to bypass congestion near the Cassiar Connector. All R2 stops will continue to be served. This is a routine approach already used by other bus routes in the area, including the 28, 130, and 222.

The R2 RapidBus provides a frequent and reliable connection along the Metrotown–North Shore corridor. While the route does not directly serve Capilano University, TransLink continues to monitor transit demand to and from the campus and adjust service where needed.

Starting September 7, 2026, Route 245 will receive two additional midday trips per hour and one additional PM peak round trip, targeted at the busiest travel times for Capilano University students.

Together with the R2 extension and convenient connections at Phibbs Exchange, these investments help support the many students, faculty, and staff who rely on transit to travel to and from the university.

The extension improves access between the North Shore and major destinations in Burnaby and Vancouver, including Brentwood, BCIT, and Metrotown. It also enhances connections to SeaBus, local bus routes, employment centres, educational institutions, and shopping destinations.

The $6.8 million capital improvements fund for the R2 RapidBus extension was funded through the 2025 Investment Plan. The extension is a near-term step toward the Metrotown–North Shore corridor, identified by the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation as a priority for future rapid transit planning.

The R2 extension is a near-term improvement that provides more service and better connections along the Metrotown-North Shore corridor, building ridership ahead of future rapid transit service.

TransLink and municipal partners are continuing to plan for future rapid transit through the Burrard Inlet Rapid Transit Program. The program is looking at Bus Rapid Transit and rail options, including possible routes and station locations, and how much of the roadway would be dedicated to transit. No final option has been selected.