R2 RapidBus ridership up 160 per cent after extension to Metrotown

The extended R2 RapidBus recorded about 434,000 boardings between Sept. 8 and Oct. 7, 2026, according to TransLink figures reported by Daily Hive Urbanized. That is 160 per cent higher than the equivalent period in 2025, when the route was confined to the North Shore.

The longer route began operating on Sept. 7. Daily Hive Urbanized reported that the 2025 comparison period ran from Sept. 2 to Oct. 1, so the two periods do not cover the same calendar dates.

What changed

The route now runs to Metrotown Station in Burnaby and has been renamed the R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus. It launched in 2020 as the R2 Marine Drive RapidBus. Extending it south of Burrard Inlet grew it from 10 km to about 19 km.

According to TransLink's figures, average weekday boardings rose from about 6,000 in the equivalent 2025 period to more than 16,000 since the extension launched.

Not all of it is new riders

The extension replaces portions of the service that the No. 130 and No. 222 routes used to provide, bringing some of their passengers onto the RapidBus. The No. 222, which ran weekdays only between Phibbs bus exchange and Metrotown, was discontinued.

Because of that shift, TransLink's figures also include a broader comparison. They show combined ridership across the affected routes up seven per cent compared with the equivalent period in 2025. That number measures the affected routes together rather than the extended R2 alone.

Where people are boarding

About 82,000 boardings were recorded at Metrotown Station from Sept. 8 to Oct. 7. Metrotown, Brentwood Town Centre and BCIT Burnaby together generated about 164,000 boardings, nearly 38 per cent of the extended route's total.

Service and trip times

The R2 runs from about 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. It uses articulated buses with all-door boarding. Buses arrive every six to seven minutes during weekday peaks and every 10 to 15 minutes at other times.

The full trip between Park Royal and Metrotown Station takes roughly one hour to one hour and 20 minutes. According to Google Maps, some trips between the two points can be faster by taking a bus to Downtown Vancouver and then the Expo Line.

The extension did not introduce new bus-priority or HOV lanes in Burnaby.

What's next

TransLink continues to plan for a potential upgrade of the R2 to a Bus Rapid Transit standard. For context, the R2 had 1.92 million annual boardings in 2025, according to TransLink data.