Transit riders seem to be on board with the new and improved Phibbs Exchange.
On Monday, TransLink welcomed passengers to the overhauled bus loop, which serves as a hub for thousands of trips through North Vancouver every day.
In 2022, it was announced that Phibbs would be getting a $30-million facelift, with funding from the federal government, the province and the District of North Vancouver. Previously, the station had only seen minor upgrades since its opening in 1973.
In years before the announced renovation project, customers had complained of feeling unsafe at the poorly lit bus loop, which was difficult for articulated buses to navigate.
But the refurbished transit hub – one of the busiest on the North Shore – has 13 new bus bays, seven new bike lockers, better lighting and rain garden landscaping to improve drainage.
The new layout has several lanes with bus stops spread out among them, compared to a single concrete island where passengers used to wait. Also included in the upgrade is a designated bus parking area, a rest area for breaking drivers and a new commercial space that will likely be home to a coffee shop.
But despite public outcry for public washrooms on site, none are currently available. TransLink has promised that new bathroom facilities would be coming to some of its facilities but has not yet said if Phibbs would be one of them.
“TransLink is deciding where the new washrooms will go through a washroom implementation strategy, and will be in a better position to update on the locations later this year,” said spokesperson Dan Mountain.
For Phibbs frequenter Brayden Guizzo, the lack of a bathroom is only a wee inconvenience.
“I could see maybe it being an issue for others, but I don’t have much of an issue with it,” he said.
If there were washrooms, Guizzo added, there could be problems with vandalism “or people who don’t really like to keep things clean, and they could ruin it for everybody else.”
Living in the Mt. Seymour Parkway area, Guizzo takes the bus to and from Vancouver for work nearly every day. Using Phibbs during the two-year renovation period was rough at times, but got better as the new layout came together, he said.
“It’s much more open,” Guizzo said of the completed design. “They filled in that big ol’ empty area that was over there … and now they spread the buses out a lot more.”
When he had to find his bus stop at the new station, Guizzo said he went to one of the several large signs and located it without issue.
“It was not that bad at all,” he said.
