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A rally organized by transit advocates turned Langara–49th SkyTrain Station into a “red carpet” for bus lanes and a Hudson Williams-lookalike contest.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Feb 14, 2026
SOUTH VANCOUVER, BC — Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders Association hosted a successful Red Carpet Rally at Langara–49th SkyTrain Station on February 13th, combining advocacy for bus lanes with a celebration of Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams’ 25th birthday. A gathering of over 100 attendees gathered outside the station as the sun set, the party started despite a light drizzle of rain. Set to music from the show’s official soundtrack, hockey sticks, a red carpet, and a birthday cake fit for a crowd.
Proud Langara College alumnus, Hudson Williams, is the breakout star of the hit Canadian TV series Heated Rivalry. We suspect he commuted on route 49 which connects major destinations in South Vancouver including Langara College, UBC, Metrotown, many shops and services in the Punjabi Market and Sunset on Fraser neighbourhoods, and a number of parks, schools and recreation centres.
Movement calls for better transit priority along the entire 49th Ave corridor.
Rally attendees gathered to celebrate the small win of just under 2km of bus lanes proposed by the city despite demands for improvements along the entire 20km corridor. The event featured a stand up comedy set with South Vancouver Comedian and 49 rider, Bobin Monga. Organizers also rolled out a 10 foot red carpet outside the transit station for the Hudson Williams-lookalike contest. Attendees were offered free transit-themed Valentine’s Day cards and birthday cake.
“This event showed that transit improvements can be hot and popular.” said Nav Sharma, Director of Marketing and Communications at Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders. “We need our government to see how popular transit improvements are. We are asking the City of Vancouver to Roll Out the Red Carpet for the most popular local bus route in our region. We want to see bus lanes on the entire 49th Avenue corridor, not just the 1.9km announced so far.”
Effective Social Media Advocacy: “Did Hudson Williams Ride the 49???”
Movement’s transit advocacy campaign has been getting attention on social media, asking their viewers “Did Hudson Williams ride the 49???”. The group has several videos exploring this theme including a noir-style investigation video by filmmaker Arden English, and a video where the Executive Director of Movement, Denis Agar, reads comments on their Heated Rivalry themed videos on camera.
Support from Sunset on Fraser Business Association
“Sometimes when I’m coming to work or I’m shopping and going to [see] family, I see that the lineup is a block long to get onto the bus. So having a designated bus lane on 49th really makes sense,” said Rob Nijjar, Executive Director of the Sunset on Fraser Business Association. “It also makes it easier for seniors to get to Fraser to shop and the families to get to the community centers.”
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- Red Carpet Rally: Event & Winner Photos/Videos
The winner:
The winner of the Hudson Williams-lookalike contest, Solomon Yi-Kieran, went home with a grand prize from the event’s prize sponsor, Heartberry Soda. A case of Ginger Soda, a reference to the actor’s role as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry playing on Shane’s love for Ginger Ale. They also received a Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit riders t-shirt, tote bag, and stickers, which are all available for purchase on our fundraising webstore.
Media Contact
Nav Sharma
Director of Marketing and Communications,
Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders
Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders is a non-profit that represents our region’s one million transit riders. We’ve often been left out of the conversation, and we’re here to speak up for faster, more reliable, more abundant transit. We’re focused on the growing number of bus routes where riders are left behind by full buses, day after day, primarily in Surrey and South Vancouver, as well as the urgent need for bus lanes that cost almost nothing but massively improve commutes for hundreds of thousands of people.