Surrey is lobbying the provincial government to change its stance on not having express buses stop in this city once they've crossed the Port Mann Bridge, as was originally planned.

Otherwise they'll be running directly through Surrey from New Westminster to Langley.

Mayor Dianne Watts said the city's engineering department will make the case to their provincial counterparts to set up a boarding and exiting point here, after the Liberal government dropped plans to have the express buses, which begin service on Dec. 1st, pick up and drop off commuters at 156th Street.

"Hopefully there'll be some movement on that," Watts said. "One can only hope. I think it's ridiculous not to have a stop in Surrey."

Considering the city's large population, she said, "it makes no sense" to not have the buses stop here.

TransLink spokesman Derek Zabel said there had been "a discussion with a bunch of partners that would include the government of B.C., the City of Surrey, some private developers and TransLink" for commercial and residential development around 156th," but nothing happened.

"No agreement was ever reached and development plans didn't materialize," Zabel said, "but as part of the Highway 1 project, the government of B.C. agreed to build in the on-and-off ramps in anticipation of any future developments in the area."

Zabel said the #509 and #590 buses will use the 156th Street ramps to get to Surrey Central SkyTrain Station, as opposed to the 160th Street ramps, which they currently use.

"You still have the localized service that will take you to the SkyTrain stations," he said, "but as it stands right now, we don't have plans to connect the Rapid Bus down 156th. You'd have to stop that bus on those overpasses and there isn't the infrastructure in place to drop off or pick people up safely on those off ramps."