Coast Mountain Bus Company route 23 'Main Street Station / English Bay'

This article is about the renumbered Community Shuttle service. For the cancelled evening service between Stanley Park and New Westminster Station, see 23 Stanley Park/Kootenay Loop/New Westminster Station.

23 Main Street Station/English Bay
ARBOC SOM 28 – 19547 seen on Beach Avenue in English Bay.
Service Area	Vancouver
Termini	Main Street–Science World Station Davie Street at Bidwell Street
Operations	Hamilton Transit Centre Vancouver Transit Centre*
Vehicles	ARBOC SOM 28 Girardin G5 Nova Bus LFS HEV *
Branches	23 Main Street Station 23 English Bay English Bay* Main Street Station*
* Seasonal weekend express overload trips running from April–September

23 Main Street Station/English Bay is a Community Shuttle route operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Route Details

This is an east-west route running in Vancouver connecting Main Street–Science World Station, Yaletown, and English Bay Beach. The route is part of the Frequent Transit Network (FTN), with service provided every 8–12 minutes or better throughout the day, seven days a week for 15 hours or more. Service during peak hours increases to every 6–8 minutes.

Eastbound trips depart from Davie Street & Bidwell Street heading west on Davie Street, south on Denman Street, east on Beach Avenue becoming Pacific Street and Pacific Boulevard, north on Patt Quinn Way becoming Abbott Street, east on Keefer Place becoming Keefer Street, south on Quebec Street, east on National Avenue, and south on Station Street to Main Street–Science World Station.

Westbound trips depart from Main Street–Science World Station heading south on Station Street, west on Terminal Avenue, north on Quebec Street, west on Keefer Street becoming Keefer Place, south on Abbott Street, west on Expo Boulevard becoming Pacific Boulevard, west on Pacific Street, south on Howe Street, west on Beach Avenue, north on Jervis Street, west on Beach Avenue, north on Bidwell Street, and west on Davie Street to Davie Street & Bidwell Street.

23 Express Overload

To address weekend summer overcrowding, select trips using conventional buses run as an express overload service. This version of the route performs pick-up and drop-off service at all stops. Service primarily runs directly between Main Street–Science World Station, Yaletown–Roundhouse Station, and English Bay with few intermediate stops. Due to the express nature of this service, some portions of the route are bypassed. Eastbound trips depart from English Bay from Davie Street & Bidwell Street heading west on Davie Street, south on Denman Street, east on Beach Avenue becoming Pacific Street to Pacific Boulevard becoming Quebec Street, east on National Avenue, and south on Station Street to Main Street–Science World Station. Westbound trips depart from Main Street–Science World heading south on Station Street, west on Terminal Avenue, north on Quebec Street becoming Expo Boulevard to Pacific Boulevard becoming Pacific Street, north on Bidwell Street, and west on Davie Street to Davie Street & Bidwell Street.

Stop Accessibility Bus Connections Notes Main Street–Science World Station (Bay 3) 3 8 19 22 N8 N19 Quebec Street & Terminal Avenue Westbound only National Avenue & Main Street Eastbound only Expo Boulevard & Abbott Street Westbound only Yaletown–Roundhouse Station (Bay 3 – English Bay) (Bay 4 – Main Street Station) 6 Beach Avenue & Bidwell Street Eastbound only Davie Street & Bidwell Street 6

Points of Interest

• Main Street–Science World Station (Bay 3)
• Thornton Park
• Science World
• Creekside Park
• Andy Livingstone Park
• Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
• International Village
• Stadium–Chinatown Station
• Rogers Arena
• BC Place
• Yaletown–Roundhouse Station (Bay 3 – English Bay) (Bay 4 – Main Street Station)
• Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
• David Lam Park
• George Wainborn Park
• Vancouver Aquatic Centre
• Sunset Beach
• English Bay Beach
• Davie Village

History

• December 2016 - Service introduced as a merger of the C21 Yaletown/Beach and C23 Yaletown/Davie
• April 2020 - Westbound routing temporarily revised to go via Beach Avenue, Denman Street, Davie Street to temporary Beach terminus at Davie Street & Bidwell Street due to COVID-19-related road closures on Beach Avenue between Denman Street and Jervis Street
• May 2020 - Eastbound routing temporarily revised to go from temporary Beach terminus via Davie Street, Thurlow Street, Pacific Avenue, then regular route due to COVID-19-related road closures on Beach Avenue to all eastbound traffic
• January 2021 - COVID-19 service adjustment: Saturday service from 10 a.m.–noon and 9 p.m.–10 p.m. reduced from every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes. Sunday/holiday service from 9 a.m.–noon and 8 p.m.–10 p.m. reduced from every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes
• April 2021 - Introduction of additional summer seasonal service on weekday evenings and weekend/holiday afternoons
• April 26, 2021 - Beach Avenue reopens to eastbound traffic: Westbound routing near English Bay Beach revised to go via Beach Avenue, Bidwell Street, and Davie Street to Davie & Bidwell. Eastbound trips depart from Davie & Bidwell via Davie, Denman Street, and Beach Avenue. Beach terminus was revised to Davie & Bidwell instead of the pre-COVID Morton Avenue & Denman Street terminus. Eastbound service on Davie Street discontinued
• January 2022 - COVID-19 service adjustment: Weekday early morning service reduced from every 8–10 minutes to every 10–12 minutes. Saturday early afternoon service reduced from every 10 minutes to every 12–15 minutes and evening service from every 10 minutes to every 10–12 minutes
• January 2023 - Various daily service increases
  • First eastbound weekday trip advanced 15 minutes early
  • AM peak hour service increased from every 10–12 minutes to every 8–9 minutes and PM peak hour service increased from every 7–9 minutes to every 6–8 minutes
  • Weekday midday service increased from every 12 minutes to every 10 minutes and evening weekday service increased from every 12 minutes to every 8–10 minutes
  • Saturdays: morning service increased from every 15 minutes to every 10–12 minutes. Afternoon service increased from every 10 minutes to every 7–9 minutes. Evening service increased from every 15 minutes to every 8–12 minutes
  • Sunday/holiday afternoon service increased from every 10 minutes to every 8–9 minutes. Evenings increased from every 15 minutes to every 12 minutes
• April 2023 - Westbound trips renamed from 23 Beach to 23 English Bay to reduce customer confusion
• May 13, 2023 - First appearance of unscheduled conventional buses to address summer weekend overcrowding throughout the day
• May 20, 2023 - Introduction of unscheduled conventional buses running as an express to address overcrowding
• May 27, 2023 - Operating hours of unscheduled conventional express trips revised to run in the late afternoon and evenings
• June 3, 2023 - Unscheduled conventional express trips made consistent every weekend until September 3, 2023
• June 8, 2023 - Unscheduled conventional express trips revised to become scheduled trips
• November 27–December 11, 2023 - Consultation period for various proposed changes to the route:
  • Change vehicle type from Community Shuttles to conventional buses for all trips
  • Westbound service on Beach Avenue between Howe Street and Jervis Street to operate on Pacific Street instead to allow for the use of 40-foot conventional buses
  • Westbound service on Keefer Street between Quebec Street and Pat Quinn Way to operate on Expo Boulevard instead to allow for the use of 40-foot conventional buses
  • Extend service beyond the current terminus at Davie Street & Bidwell Street to Burrard Station running via Denman Street, Robson Street, Burrard Street
  • Various consolidation or removal of bus stops for consistent spacing and operational efficiency
• April 2024 - Weekend conventional express overload trips return as a regularly scheduled service, with the start of operations advanced to April. Westbound trips renamed from Special to English Bay
• Fall 2024 - Construction work begins on upgrades along the route to support the implementation of 40-foot conventional buses. Initially, work was supposed to begin in the summer but was delayed and implementation is targetted for early 2025. Public consultation completed in late 2023 supported most proposals except for the following:
  • Westbound service will remain on Beach Avenue instead of shifting to Pacific Street
  • Terminus will remain in English Bay at Davie Street & Bidwell Street instead of extending to Burrard Stations due to concerns with reliability issues due to congestion
• November 25, 2024 - Westbound routing near English Bay revised to temporarily go via Beach Avenue, Davie Street, Cardero Street, Pendrell Street becoming Bidwell Street, Davie Street to Davie Street & Bidwell Street due to construction. Routing along Bidwell Street between Beach Avenue and Davie Street temporarily discontinued and expected to last six weeks
• January 2025 - Various proposed long-term service changes as part of the Burrard Peninsula Area Transport Plan:
  • Extend the service into Stanley Park by moving the western terminus from English Bay to Second Beach
  • Remove the deviation on westbound trips in the Chinatown area along Keefer Street
  • Remove the deviation on westbound trips in the Yaletown area along Pacific Street
• April 2025 - Various service changes:
  • All trips revised to run with conventional buses instead of Community Shuttles. This resulted in a change of operations from Hamilton Transit Centre to Vancouver Transit Centre
  • Discontinuation of the seasonal overload express service introduced in 2023 as the service is made redundant as part of the change in vehicle type on all trips
  • Westbound trips revised to use Expo Boulevard instead of Keefer Street to accommodate conventional buses
  • Service renamed from 23 Main Street Station/English Bay to 23 Pacific
  • Removal of select stops, particularly along Pacific Boulevard, for bus stop balancing and to accommodate conventional buses
  • Reduction in frequency due to increased capacity:
    • AM peak hour service reduced from every 7–12 minutes to every 10–15 minutes
    • Weekday midday service reduced from every 10 minutes to every 12 minutes
    • PM peak hour and weekday evening service reduced from every 6–9 minutes to every 10 minutes
    • Saturday midday service reduced from every 8–12 minutes to every 10–15 minutes
    • Saturday afternoon and evening service reduced from every 7–9 minutes to every 10 minutes
    • Saturday night service reduced from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes
    • Sunday/holiday midday service reduced from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes
    • Sunday/holiday afternoon and evening service reduced from every 8–10 minutes to every 12 minutes
    • Sunday/holiday night service reduced from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes

23 conventional overload service

While the 23 is a Community Shuttle route, conventional buses made regular weekend appearances starting Saturday, May 13. The two buses ran throughout the day on both Saturday and Sunday, May 14 as part of a larger group of extra service throughout downtown to address weekend overcrowding on routes 2 Macdonald–16th/Downtown, 5 Robson/Downtown, 6 Davie/Downtown, and 19 Main Street Station/Stanley Park. The weekend of May 13 & 14 saw conventional buses run the full 23 route.

This was repeated the following weekend May 20 and 21 running for most of the day. However, this time the service ran as an express 23 service.

For the weekend of May 27 and 28, the operating hours were reduced to run in the late afternoon and evenings only. Saturday service was changed to run from approximately 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday service from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. These operating hours and would remain the same for every following weekend and consistently used two buses running the unscheduled express service.

Since Saturday, June 3, the service was made consistent for every weekend evening – two buses running express from approximately 4–11 p.m. on Saturdays and 6–11:30 p.m. on Sundays. This would remain in place every weekend until September 3, 2023, to address summer weekend overcrowding on the 23. Details of the unscheduled express service were made public on Thursday, June 8.

The service returned the following year in April, advanced to start earlier and be part of the seasonal April service changes.

With the change in vehicle type from Community Shuttle to conventional on all trips as part of the April 2025 service changes, the seasonal express overload service did not return.

References

v·d·e Transit Centres Burnaby – Hamilton – Port Coquitlam – Richmond – Surrey – Vancouver Closed Transit Centres North Vancouver – Oakridge Under Contract First Transit – West Vancouver Transit Former Contractors Bonny's Taxi Ltd. – Bowen Island Community Transit – DW Services Ltd. – Metro Shuttle Service Ltd. – First Canada Current Fleet 2101–2199, 2201–2289 2501–2540 2541–2574 3309–3358 7447–7499, 7501–7504 8118–8156 9277–9285 9401–9499, 9501–9542 9543–9581, 9583–9590 9605–9699, 9701–9725 9726–9791 9797–9799 12001–12025 14001–14045 15001–15021 16001–16051 16101–16130, 16137 16201–16226 18001–18063 18101–18206 18301–18404 18451–18473 19001–19047 19101–19147 19301–19302 19303–19304 19401–19432 21001–21025 21401–21425 22001–22015 23001–23015 23201–23215 24001–24016 24101–24150 Community Shuttle Fleet 18510–18527 19503–19535, 19538–19549 19550–19554 21501–21562 23601–23606 23651–23665 24506–24548 24601–24634 Retired Fleet 1158–1192 1205–1223 1209–1210 2701–2947 3001–3021 3101–3210 3211–3257 3258–3282 3283–3299, 3301–3308 4101–4115 4116–4143 4144–4192 4193–4199, 4201–4278 5501–5508 5509–5521 6601–6630 7101–7150 7151–7197, 7199–7243 7244–7246 7247–7297 7298 7301–7374 7375–7399, 7401–7429 7430–7446 8001–8021 8022–8047 8048–8099, 8101 8102–8117 9101–9115 9116–9127 9201–9276 Retired Community Shuttle Fleet S001 S002 (1st) S002 (2nd) S003–S004 S006–S012 S013–S016 S017 S018–S056 S057–S059 S060–S061 S062–S102 S200–S236 S237–S257 S258–S301 S302–S356 S357–S380 S381 S382–S393 S410–S434 S435–S464 S465–S471 S501–S544 S1301–S1320 S1321 S1322–S1325 16501–16562 17506–17564 Paint Schemes Other List of Current TransLink Ad-Wraps – List of Former TransLink Ad-Wraps – RapidBus – TransLink Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic – TransLink Vancouver 2010 Olympic Operations – Trolleybuses in Vancouver SeaBus Current Fleet Burrard Beaver – Burrard Pacific Breeze – Burrard Otter II – Burrard Chinook Retired Fleet Burrard Otter Terminals Lonsdale Quay – Waterfront Station Bus Loops and 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