Coast Mountain Bus Company route 246 'Highland / Downtown'

246 Highland/Downtown
Nova Bus LFS – 9763 operating on route 246 Highland at Lonsdale Avenue & Esplanade in 2014.
Service Area	North Vancouver Vancouver
Termini	Montroyal Blvd. at Glencanyon Drive W. Georgia Street at Homer Street
Operations	Burnaby Transit Centre
Vehicles	Nova Bus LFS
Branches	246 Highland 246 Downtown 246 Marine and Capilano* 246 Marine and Garden**
* Late night trips ** Final southbound trips and one early morning short-turn

246 Highland/Downtown is a bus route operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Route Details

This is a north-south route connecting the Capilano Highlands and Edgemont Village in North Vancouver and Downtown Vancouver. Service runs daily every 30 minutes, increasing to every 15–20 minutes during peak hours.

Northbound trips depart Downtown Vancouver from W. Georgia Street & Homer Street heading west on W. Georgia Street through the Stanley Park Causeway and across the Lions Gate Bridge, then east on Marine Drive, north on Capilano Road, east on Ridgewood Drive, south on Edgemont Boulevard, north on Highland Boulevard, east on Montroyal Boulevard until Montroyal & Glencanyon Drive, where it continues as a 249 Lonsdale Quay.

Southbound trips depart from Montroyal Boulevard & Glencanyon Drive coming off of a 249 Delbrook and heads west on Montroyal, south on Highland Boulevard, north on Edgemont Boulevard, west on Ridgewood Drive, south on Capilano Road, then south on Garden Avenue, west on marine Drive, merging onto the Lions Gate Bridge and then through the Stanley Park Causeway and W. Georgia Street to W. Georgia Street & Homer Street.

Some early morning northbound trips start at Capilano Road & Curling Road with no changes in routing.

Two late-night southbound trips terminate at Marine Drive & Capilano Road. The last southbound trips daily and first weekday southbound trip terminate at Marine Drive & McGuire Avenue.

Points of Interest

• Vancouver Playhouse
• Stadium–Chinatown Station
• Larwill Park
• Queen Elizabeth Theatre
• Vancouver City Centre Station
• Granville Station
• Pacific Centre
• Vancouver Art Gallery
• Burrard Station
• Stanley Park
• Norgate Park
• Capilano Park
• North Vancouver Public Library – Capilano Branch
• Edgemont Village
• Westview Shopping Centre
• North Shore Neighbourhood House

History

• Circa 1950 - Portion of current route introduced as Capilano Canyon. Operates from Capilano at Marine to Montroyal Boulevard.
• October 1953 - Service introduced as Highland. Route operates from Fell and Marine to Highland and Tudor.
• November 1959 - Service is merged with the existing Capilano and renamed Highland–Delbrook–McKay–Marine. During peak hours, service extended to Vancouver. During off-peak hours, service extends to Park Royal. The eastern terminus of this route was Fell at Marine.
• January 1964 - North Vancouver portion of route renamed 86 Highland. Service operates from 16th St. at Hamilton Ave. (now Capilano Mall) along Westview, Delbrook, Montroyal, and Highland Blvd. to Edgemont Village with a western terminus at Park Royal. Service in the opposite direction is renamed 85 Delbrook; it originates at the Vancouver Bus Depot downtown before following a similar route to the eastern terminus at 16th and Hamilton.
• June 1977 - Service renumbered from 86 to 246 and rerouted/extended to Lonsdale Quay to service the SeaBus
• September 1982 - Off-peak service revised to terminate at Park Royal Shopping Centre
• December 1991 - Accessible service introduced on select trips
• April 1993 - Downtown terminus revised to operate from a temporary terminal on the east side of Beatty Street between Georgia and Dunsmuir adjacent to the Beatty Street Armoury with the closing of the Larwill Bus Depot
• December 1997 - Local service along West Georgia Street to and from North Vancouver approved on a permanent basis after a six month trial period
• May 2000 - Lions Gate Bridge reconstruction: Daytime service to Vancouver temporarily discontinued and revised to terminate at Park Royal for several months
• October 2001 - Due to funding shortfall and low ridership, midday service Monday–Saturday between North Vancouver and downtown discontinued
• February 2007 - Downtown terminus moved from Beatty Street to Cambie & Georgia
• February 1–March 21, 2010 - Vancouver 2010 Olympic service: Downtown terminus revised to Georgia between Cambie and Hamilton due to downtown pedestrian corridors and BC Place & Canada Hockey Place venue security zones
• June 2011 - Service to Park Royal Shopping Centre discontinued
• September 2016 - North Vancouver Transit Centre closed down, operations moved to Burnaby Transit Centre
• October 2018 - Downtown terminus moved from Hamilton & Georgia to Georgia & Hamilton for unloading, Cambie & Georgia for loading
• September 2019 - Portion between Montroyal Boulevard & Glencanyon Drive and Lonsdale Quay replaced by the 249 to reduce passenger confusion
• April 2022 - Closure of Larwill Park: Downtown layover spaces relocated to Hamilton Street and Homer Street between W. Georgia Street and Robson Street: Starting point moved from W. Georgia Street & Hamilton Street to W. Georgia Street & Homer Street, no longer routing from Larwill Park via Cambie Street to W. Georgia Street

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. Current Fleet 2101–2199, 2201–2289 2501–2540 2541–2574 3309–3358 7375–7399, 7401–7429 7430–7446 7447–7499, 7501–7504 8102–8117 8118–8156 9201–9276 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 Community Shuttle Fleet 16501–16562 17506–17564 18510–18527 19503–19535, 19538–19549 19550–19554 21501–21562 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 8001–8021 8022–8047 8048–8099, 8101 9101–9115 9116–9127 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 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 Exchanges Vancouver 29th Avenue Station – Blanca Loop – Boundary Loop – Burrard Station – Commercial–Broadway Station – Dunbar Loop – Joyce Station – Knight Street–Marine Drive – Kootenay Loop – Main Street Station – Marine Drive Station – Marpole Loop – Nanaimo Station – Stanley Park Loop – UBC Exchange – Waterfront Station Burnaby & New West 22nd Street Station – Braid Station – Brentwood Station – Edmonds Station – Lougheed Station – New Westminster Station – Production Way Station – Metrotown Station – SFU Exchange – Sperling Station Tri-Cities Burquitlam Station – Coquitlam Central Station – Moody Centre Station – Port Coquitlam Station Richmond Bridgeport Station – Richmond–Brighouse Station – Steveston Exchange North Shore Capilano University – Lonsdale Quay – Lynn Valley Centre – Park Royal – Phibbs Exchange Pitt Meadows & Maple Ridge Haney Place – Maple Meadows Station – Pitt Meadows Station South of Fraser Carvolth Exchange – Guildford Exchange – Ladner Exchange – Langley Centre – Newton Exchange – Scott Road Station – Scottsdale Exchange – South Delta Exchange – South Surrey Park and Ride – Surrey Central Station – White Rock Centre Former Exchanges Airport Station – Brentwood Mall – Coquitlam Station – Coquitlam Recreation Centre – Coquitlam Town Centre – East Guildford Park and Ride – Lougheed Mall – Lougheed Park and Ride – Matthews Exchange – Meadow Ridge Centre – Pitt Meadows Park and Ride – Port Moody Station – PNE Park and Ride – Port Coquitlam Centre – Renfrew Loop – Richmond Centre – Richmond Exchange – Sexsmith Park and Ride – South Richmond Park and Ride – Upper Zoo Loop – Walnut Grove Park and Ride Routes R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Conventional 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 19 20 22 25 26 27 28 29 32 33 41 44 49 50 84 99 100 101 104 106 110 112 116 119 123 128 129 130 133 134 136 143 144 145 150 151 152 153 155 156 159 160 179 183 188 191 209 210 211 212 222 228 229 230 231 232 236 240 241 245 246 247 249 250 253 254 255 257 258 301 310 311 312 314 316 319 320 321 323 324 325 326 329 335 337 340 341 342 345 350 351 352 354 364 375 388 391 393 394 395 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 410 418 430 480 501 502 503 509 531 555 595 601 602 603 604 606 608 620 640 701 791 900 Community Shuttle 23 31 42 68 103 105 109 131 132 146 147 148 157 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 180 181 182 184 185 186 187 189 214 215 226 227 251 252 256 262 280 281 282 322 360 361 362 363 370 371 372 373 412 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Pass (U-Pass) – West Coast Express Fares Plans and Projects Expo Line Fraser Highway Extension – Millennium Line Broadway Extension – Pattullo Bridge Replacement Other Divisions Cycling Network – Roads and Bridges – Transit Police