They will be hard to miss: tall, green-coloured posts are now being installed on a number of major arterial roads across the region for TransLink’s new RapidBus routes.

To enable RapidBus as a distinctively superior bus service, these posts provide route way-finding information and a real-time next bus digital countdown display that shows the arrival times of the next buses. The battery-powered quartz display will be visible at night from its backlighting.

Additionally, for passengers with impaired vision, an audio announcement is available at the push of the button.

But for the time being, until the launch of the services in early 2020, the wayfinding information and digital displays are temporarily concealed by wrapping.

The first phase of the RapidBus program consists of five routes.

This includes three new routes: R2 Marine Drive (Park Royal in West Vancouver to Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver District via Marine Drive, 3rd Street, and Main Street); R3 Lougheed Highway (Coquitlam Central Station to Haney Place in Maple Ridge via Lougheed Highway); and R4 41st Avenue (UBC to Joyce-Collingwood Station via Wesbrook Mall and 41st Avenue)

The remaining two RapidBus routes will be an upgrade of the existing 95 B-Line and 96 B-Line services into the R5 Hastings Street and R1 King George Boulevard, respectively.

R3 Lougheed Highway, R4 41st Avenue, R5 Hastings, and R1 King George Boulevard will all launch on January 6.

However, R2 Marine Drive will launch sometime between February and April due to construction delays with roadwork improvements.

The RapidBus program includes extensive new bus priority measures for the three new routes, such as bus-only lanes, queue jumpers, street parking changes, and traffic signal changes.

All services will run from early in the morning to late in the night, with higher travelling speeds than normal buses and high frequencies, with buses arriving at least every 15 minutes during operating hours. The highest frequency service will be the R4 41st Avenue, with buses arriving up to every three minutes during the morning peak period.

RapidBus routes will exclusively run on new green-and-blue coloured, three-door articulated buses, with all-door boarding.