This Man Saves Bus Stops

Angus McIntyre at the 36th and Dunbar bus stop that mysteriously disappeared last summer. He’s holding a sign from several years ago, when TransLink backed off from eliminating a number of stops, including this one.

By Carol Volkart

The man at the forefront of a 2021-22 battle to save Dunbar’s bus stops is at it again.

Retired long-time bus driver Angus McIntyre, who monitors transit with an eagle eye, was stunned last summer to see two of the supposedly saved bus stops on Dunbar Street simply … gone. No announcement, no warning, no consultation or explanation.

True, there was a reminder of what once had been — a bus zone sign remained at the 36th Ave. stop northbound. But the crucial ID post was gone; the only sign of its existence a circular concrete patch in the pavement. Across Dunbar, the matching 35th Ave. stop southbound had vanished without a trace.

McIntyre’s discovery prompted him to dig out the photo he’d taken of a TransLink sign announcing the 35th stop had been saved, along with many others, after the memorable bus-stop battle of late 2021-early 2022. TransLink had proposed cutting 40 percent of the bus stops between 16th and 41st on Dunbar as part of a “Bus Stop Balancing” project, prompting a vigorous community protest led by the Dunbar Residents’ Association.

The protest included touring TransLink officials around the threatened bus stops one December morning in 2021. McIntyre, a DRA board member who had done his homework, wielded a sheaf of evidence arguing the wrong-headedness of the plan. When TransLink backed off on most of the closures a couple of months later, highlights from that successful tour became a treasured part of DRA history.

So why, McIntyre asked, was TransLink now cutting two stops without even the courtesy of the warning signs posted when the Bus Stop Balancing scheme was underway?

The question went to TransLink via a letter from the DRA board earlier this year. The answer was almost as mystifying as the event: A resident who lived close to one of the stops had repeatedly asked for its removal, saying it was too close to the next stop and expressing concerns about its proximity to her home.

Wow. DRA board members were gobsmacked. One citizen can single-handedly get a bus stop eliminated, without any consultation or notice to the community?

TransLink’s response explained how it happened: It had reviewed the resident’s request, agreed that the 36th and 37th stops were close and that ridership was low. After consulting with the city, it removed the stop and its pair across the street in April 2024 for a six-month trial period which became permanent in November. The bus zone sign was left, as the city was waiting for confirmation of the trial results before removing it.

“Be assured that this was a unique circumstance for this particular pair of stops, rather than an effort to further reduce local service to the community,” said the Feb. 12 letter from TransLink, which seemed eager to make amends.

“We are open to reinstating the stops and have already started conversations with the City on implementing this,” the letter said. “Please be advised that this may take up to six weeks, and we will share an update once the reinstatement is confirmed.”

Yes, reinstating the stops is a priority, the DRA replied in its March response.

Then, twisting the knife a little, it added: “It is disconcerting to read that a single property owner’s request for the removal of the stop is all that was needed to disrupt travel in the neighbourhood. This personal request was granted without any consultation with the community which is hard to comprehend. It seems unfair to those in the neighbourhood who have always used that bus stop.

“For seniors and people with mobility issues walking extra blocks to arrive at a stop or head home is a challenge. The layout of Dunbar means that there can be long walks just to get to the street where there is bus service.”

A resident who lives west of Dunbar on 35th echoed that concern in an interview with Dunbar News. She’s had joint replacements, so the distance she must walk matters. For her, the loss of the 35th stop particularly has meant longer, harder walks, especially when she gets off the bus at night after work. She’d like both stops reinstated.

“It seems strange that one person can make such a change that affects so many people,” she said.

As of late April 2025, a year after the stops vanished, they’re still gone.

But Angus McIntyre is still on the case, and the moral of the story is clear:

If your nearest bus stop ever mysteriously disappears, you know who to call!

(A shorter version of this story appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of the DRA Newsletter.)