1991 to 1999

Arrival of the artics
Vancouver’s first articulated buses are introduced on the #160 route along Barnet-Hastings as part of the Barnet high occupancy vehicle (HOV) project.

More suburban expansion
Bus service expands to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows in December.

Mercury rectifiers removed
BC Transit dismantles its mercury arc rectifier stations, used to power trolleys. This ends Vancouver’s reign as the last city in North America to use Hewittic mercury arc equipment for public transit.

Stanley Park service conversion
In early 1993, time ran out for #19-Stanley Park trolley service, which converted to diesel-bus operation when safety reasons made a new route necessary. Limited vertical clearance at an underpass precluded the stringing of overhead wire, forcing the conversion to diesel buses and the break up of the Stanley Park-Metrotown station pairing.

Welcome West Coast Express
On November 1, West Coast Express commuter rail is launched, serving a 65-kilometre route between Mission and downtown Vancouver. Five trains, of four to seven bi-level cars each, carry passengers during peak periods.

Rapid Bus coming
BC Transit announces plans to develop limited-stop Rapid Bus routes along Broadway, using articulated low-floor diesel buses.

99 B-Line on Broadway
The first of the Rapid Bus routes, the 99 B-Line, goes into service on September 3, providing fast, frequent service between Lougheed Mall and the University of British Columbia.

Clean air buses arrive
BC Transit acquires 25 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, known as "clean air buses." The CNG fleet is expanded to 50 in 1998.

Number one in North America
The American Public Transit Association (APTA) rates BC Transit number one among North American transit systems. BC Transit receives this annual award for demonstrating "extraordinary achievement, efficiency, and effectiveness in its size category."

Fifty years of trolleys
August 16 marks the 50th anniversary of trolley bus service. Vancouver remains one of only seven cities in North America to operate trolley buses.

Bike racks on B-Line
The highly successful 99 B-Line is improved with new buses, bike racks, a distinctive paint scheme, and schedule expansion beginning on September 8.

Ballard trial begins
In October, BC Transit introduces three Ballard Fuel Cell-powered test buses, Canada’s first zero-emission public transportation vehicles. The test runs until July 2000.

Transition to TransLink
Responsibility for transit in the Greater Vancouver region is transferred from BC Transit to GVTA TransLink, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority on April 1. Together with other TransLink subsidiaries -- including SkyTrain, West Coast Express, West Vancouver Blue Bus, handyDART and Albion Ferry — Coast Mountain BusLink completes a fully integrated transit system.

New livery unveiled
TransLink unveils a new livery design for all of the region’s transit services in September. The "sweep" design — a yellow stripe sandwiched between blue strips running the length of buses, SkyTrain cars and SeaBus ferries — appears on new buses later in the year. The rest of the bus fleet, SkyTrain cars, and SeaBus ferries are due to be painted under the existing regular maintenance schedule.