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Vancouver Transit Fanning Guidebook

Enviro 500

By Enviro 500
in Metro Vancouver

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Souluxy

Souluxy

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, jmward said:

Shout out to the Orion V suburban buses too. They're pretty unusual to begin with and we might be the last big Orion V operator in Canada. For now, some 2001 units are still running (fun detroit diesel engine if youre into that) ...but that won't be for long. Youll want to go to Bridgeport Station on the Canada line to see them.

There's normally a lot more of them out during peak hours, but route 601 is a good bet any time.

Alright, thanks for the info, probably staying in the Richmond Area anyways.

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ThatBusGuy

ThatBusGuy

Posted
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6 minutes ago, GZ6113PHEV5 said:

Excuse me，what kind of Transportation card is available in Metro Vancouver？Can I get one in shops like the Shoppers？

Hello! We use Compass here: https://www.compasscard.ca/

Available to buy at Skytrain stations and other select locations like London Drugs. Should be a full list somewhere on that website. Hope that helps!

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buizelbus

buizelbus

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, GZ6113PHEV5 said:

Excuse me，what kind of Transportation card is available in Metro Vancouver？Can I get one in shops like the Shoppers？

Adding to the above, yes, it is available in Shoppers. You can also get it in stations, and if you're a tourist you can even buy one online and get it shipped to your country.

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Express691

Express691

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, Busmanic92 said:

Visa and MasterCard cards are also tapable on board bus, at fare gates for seabus, West coast Express, and SkyTrain. 

Credit* Cards. Debit is scheduled to be allowed this year Q3-Q4

That said, Apple pay/Samsung Pay is allowed

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GZ6113PHEV5

GZ6113PHEV5

Posted
Posted
On 7/17/2022 at 12:58 PM, ThatBusGuy said:

Hello! We use Compass here: https://www.compasscard.ca/

Available to buy at Skytrain stations and other select locations like London Drugs. Should be a full list somewhere on that website. Hope that helps!

Thank you so much for the detailed info！How could I get a day pass once I get my card？

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Transit Guy

Transit Guy

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, 96 Blader Line said:

Just go to the machine and add value, there should be a daypass option which you click then pay for. Btw don't buy tickets from the bus.

Yeah, if you take the bus before obtaining a Compass Card, just ask the driver if you can pay at the SkyTrain and they’ll usually say yes. Paper bus tickets are not compatible with the Compass system and will cause you to pay another fare in order to access the SkyTrain, SeaBus, or West Coast Express.

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GZ6113PHEV5

GZ6113PHEV5

Posted
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7 hours ago, 96 Blader Line said:

Just go to the machine and add value, there should be a daypass option which you click then pay for. Btw don't buy tickets from the bus.

If I already had some money stored in my card，could I buy the daypass via the machine？Google tells me that daypass is 11 dollars for adults.

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Transit Guy

Transit Guy

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, GZ6113PHEV5 said:

If I already had some money stored in my card，could I buy the daypass via the machine？Google tells me that daypass is 11 dollars for adults.

I believe you can, there should be an option that says something along the lines of “use this Compass Card” on the payment selection screen if I’m not mistaken. If your card has insufficient funds then I believe it will be crossed off in red on the selection screen.

2 hours ago, Mark Walton said:

Does TL have an app analogous to Calgary Transit's myFare, or plans to roll out such an app?

I know there are plans for TransLink to eventually roll out some kind of app in the coming years, what it’ll allow users to do is anyone’s guess at this point in time.

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BramptonTransitFan84

BramptonTransitFan84

Posted
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Hello, I'm a bus enthusiast from Brampton and I was planning on traveling to Vancouver (and possibly BC for the 98' D40LF's & Dennis Tridents) in September to explore the system and catch some of the remaining D40LF's, Orion V's along with the rest of fleet. I intend on staying for at least a week

 

I'd appreciate any pointers on good spots & routes to catch Orion V's, D40LF's, E40/60LFR's, XN40's & C40LFR's (mainly for the D40LF's & V's) as I'm hoping to get a good collection of photos along with a couple of rides. Also spots that have mountains in the background would be greatly appreciated (can't go to Vancouver for photos without getting some of those aha)

 

Thanks in advance!

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Michael Marriott

Michael Marriott

Posted
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The easiest place to get Orion V's will be at Bridgeport Canada Line Station during rush hour.  They are mainly assigned to Highway 99 express services that originate there (routes 352, 354, 601, 602, 603, 604).

The remaining D40LF's are based on the Vancouver Depot and will be on random runs on diesel routes (and occasionally on a trolley route).  They will assigned to random blocks on the 2, 9, 15/50, 22, 25 and 33.  It's best to check a tracker before trying to do any fanning of them.

If you want shots of trolleys with mountains the south end of the Granville St Bridge is a good spot, and is served by 5 trolley routes meaning you won't have to wait long for a photo.  Nanaimo St north of Hastings St on the 7 also gives you a good mountain backdrop, as does the hill on Main St between 2nd Ave and Broadway.

C40LFR's run out of the Port Coquitlam Depot, you'll have the best chance at finding them at the bus loops at Coquitlam Central or Lougheed Stations.

XN40's run out of Hamilton, Port Coquitlam and Surrey Depots.  They are the majority of the fleet in the latter two depots, so anywhere in their service area will have lots of XN40's.  If you want a little variety, Surrey is the only one to have XN40's with the updated paint scheme with a blue roofline instead of grey.  Scott Rd and Surrey Central Skytrain Stations will have lots of buses.

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Express691

Express691

Posted
Posted

For the sake of your target fleet types, it's best to stay out of Surrey and focus on Vancouver and Coquitlam Station. UBC has a large variety of buses in the PM peak. 

Not many people spot the Expo Line. For good pictures 22nd street is a good place to get trains and that's pretty much it. Another option is to shoot out the front of an eastbound expo line train but that requires some skill. Just my two cents.

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TechSpotlight

TechSpotlight

Posted
Posted
22 hours ago, BramptonTransitFan84 said:

Hello, I'm a bus enthusiast from Brampton and I was planning on traveling to Vancouver (and possibly BC for the 98' D40LF's & Dennis Tridents) in September to explore the system and catch some of the remaining D40LF's, Orion V's along with the rest of fleet. I intend on staying for at least a week

 

I'd appreciate any pointers on good spots & routes to catch Orion V's, D40LF's, E40/60LFR's, XN40's & C40LFR's (mainly for the D40LF's & V's) as I'm hoping to get a good collection of photos along with a couple of rides. Also spots that have mountains in the background would be greatly appreciated (can't go to Vancouver for photos without getting some of those aha)

 

Thanks in advance!

For Orions, I'd recommend southbound Hwy 99 & Steveston Highway sometime during PM rush.  Theres a stop right there you can get off at and get buses coming in.  The 311, 351, 352, 354, 601, 602, 603, 604, 620 and 900 all serve this stop and you can mostly get Orions, deckers, and suburban novas at this location.  Something a little different if you want to get out of the stations and do something not too many people usually do.

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Express691

Express691

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, West Island Transit Fan said:

On the Expo line, when do the Mark I trains typically run? Do they often run off-peak? 

They account for more than half the expo line fleet (which is everything minus the 2001 mk2s), hence they should be very easy to spot

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buizelbus

buizelbus

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, TechSpotlight said:

For Orions, I'd recommend southbound Hwy 99 & Steveston Highway sometime during PM rush.  Theres a stop right there you can get off at and get buses coming in.  The 311, 351, 352, 354, 601, 602, 603, 604, 620 and 900 all serve this stop and you can mostly get Orions, deckers, and suburban novas at this location.  Something a little different if you want to get out of the stations and do something not too many people usually do.

I concur. The Northbound stop is not bad either, although the southbound stop is way better.

At Bridgeport, the best place to stand is slightly south of the loop either on the west or east side, depending on lighting. There is a small grassy patch you can take photos on to avoid pedestrians and be aware of the traffic poles. The shot below was not great thanks to shadows from the poles above

49983327536_46c90944e6_k.jpg16205 by Jeff Yu, on Flickr

At Steveston and 99, just stand at the stop for SB, and across the street on the sidewalk beside the onramp for NB

46760937534_c8a22f6b4a_k.jpg9276 by Jeff Yu, on Flickr

 

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