9623 replies to this topic

[CriticalMass]

Checked BC Transit web site yesterday afternoon for service disruptions due to snow and no information available.

Got on my bus and driver told me he was not able to complete the full trip due to snow. He mentioned several other routes that were effected.

FAIL

[vortoozo]

There were alerts posted throughout the day with specifc route cancellations, detours and short turns. I thought they did a great job.

[CriticalMass]

I checked again when I got off my bus and there was nothing.

[HB]

 routes.

Edited by HB, 05 February 2017 - 08:43 AM.

[HB]

Checked BC Transit web site

 

Edited by HB, 05 February 2017 - 08:42 AM.

[Mike K.]

HB! You need to have a snickers.

Your tone is some threads is starting to get a little too antagonistic. We've been down this road before, let's relax. Not everyone knows what you do.

But yes, the reporting was less than ideal by BC Transit. At one point in the day they simply announced "all routes" may be affected and to check their website for individual route updates. If there was no update for a route that was indeed cut short or altered then they failed at alerting the public.

[AllseeingEye]

I haven't ridden buses with any regularity since moving back from Vancouver 16 years ago. Living in Kits at the time and working in d/t YVR I rode them with some frequency. No issues. Lots of capacity, very frequent service naturally on what was and is a major commuter route.

 

Last month I started working in d/t Victoria and riding the buses daily since the # 14 is - theoretically! - so convenient both inbound and outbound. The stop going into town is 100 meters from our front door.

 

In a word I am unimpressed, which is the polite term I will give it on a public forum; all too often the posted times at my inbound stop - both at the stop itself and online - are apparently 'best guesses'. Or perhaps figments of someone's imagination. Because the reality certainly does not match up with the theory - a 7:38 bus? Almost never shows up. Ditto for the supposed 7:48  - that one is somewhat more hit and miss. It might show up, it might not, depends apparently on which way the wind is blowing...

 

Then we get the real crux of my complaint which is the 7:58 bus which is almost always a regular transit bus as opposed to a double-decker: the majority of the latter are apparently outbound from downtown, virtually empty. For every one inbound bus we'll typically see 3-4 heading outbound, transporting hardly a soul....

 

The 'regular' 7:58, inbound, to absolutely no one's surprise is jammed with commuters and UVic students by the time it gets to my stop on Craigflower. And therefore invariably has the "Sorry We're Full" reader sign engaged. This happens on a daily basis. What BS. There are literally dozens of people left behind each and every morning, none of them understandably too happy.

 

Therefore, standing out there in time for no less than 3 scheduled runs, invariably I wind up catching the 8:09 bus which almost always results in me being 5+ minutes late for work. Does transit even have anyone who monitors the scheduling? Or hire someone remotely competent in that skill set? You have a major route with 80% of its capacity (double-deckers) all headed outbound FFS. Meanwhile 80-90% of the inbound buses don't have the capacity to take on the hundreds of commuters vainly trying to get to work or university. A 5-year old child could figure out pretty quickly this is an untenable situation.

 

What is it exactly that those transit "supervisors" you see driving all around town actually, you know...do for a living? Mention this to any of the drivers of course and you get a shrug and a "move along please" response. Brutal. And BCT wonders why they can't convince drivers to give up car ridership.....

 

*Oh and I pay $85/month for a pass to be privileged to receive this "service". If my staff gave that kind of "service" to valued customers I'd fire every one of them....

Edited by AllseeingEye, 05 February 2017 - 10:13 AM.

[Mike K.]

I've maintained this all along. There do not appear to be as many buses servicing some routes as per the schedule. I used to ride the 14 from your neck of the woods and my gripes about "ghost buses" are well documented here.

[vortoozo]

I checked again when I got off my bus and there was nothing.

 

Hmmm I wonder if you were looking under the Alerts section? I get the email updates, and looking back, the alerts were updated a total of 18 times on Friday.

The few times I checked to see what was going on, they had a full summary published of short turns and cancellations.

If you check the Alerts right now, they have similar information posted to what was available all day on Friday:

 

 

Effective:

Feb 6, 2017

Routes Affected:

• 21
• 22
• 24
• 32
• 52
• 59
• 60
• 64
• 83

Buses may be running late due to road and weather conditions.

Update as of 8:00 Monday February 6th, 2017.

All routes are in service and on regular routing except for:

Route 21 Camosun-Interurban / Downtown: Not Now Servicing Viaduct

Route 22 Vic General / Hillside Mall: Not Now Servicing Holland/Hastings/Watkiss Way Loop

Route 24 Cedar Hill / Admirals Walk: Not Servicing the Wilson Hill (Catherine/Esquimalt/Head)

Route 32 Cordova Bay / Royal Oak:  Not Servicing Sayward at Fowler.
Detour as follows: Regular Route, Turning around at Cordova Bay Plaza.

Route 52 Colwood / Milstream Bear Mountain: Not servicing Lagoon Road Loop or Bear Mountain Parkway.

Route 59 Triangle Mountain: Not Servicing Triangle Mountain

Route 60 Wishart: Not Servicing Triangle Mountain

Route 64 East Sooke: Not Servicing East Sooke.  

Route 83 Sidney / Brentwood / Royal Oak: Not Servicing Quayle/Bever Lake Road

[sebberry]

The following routes have been cancelled for the remainder of this evening:

 

28
2
59
60
16
30
11

[grantpalin]

Wow, conditions must be dire if routes are being dropped altogether for the evening. I know some of those are otherwise regular runs.

[HB]

The following routes have been cancelled for the remainder of this evening:

28
2
59
60
16
30
11

anyone know fir sure if bc transit has snow or winter rated tires on their buses?

[sebberry]

anyone know fir sure if bc transit has snow or winter rated tires on their buses?

 

The spokesman for BCT was on CFAX earlier saying that they have "mud and snow" tires on the busses, which we all know are not always well suited for the snow.  He did say that they have some studded tires they can install.

 

But the cost to outfit all the busses with proper commercial vehicle winter tires would be quite steep.  How many truckers do you know who have winter tires on their big rigs?

[HB]

BC Truckers or ones that truck on BC roads are more likely than flat-landers who come hear with loads

[VicHockeyFan]

Three #14's stuck.

 

https://www.facebook...&type=3

 

[grantpalin]

^-- I use that route between downtown and Richmond/Cedar Hill X. It was slow going at times both ways yesterday. I was worried about it traversing the hill on Richmond yesterday evening.

[Bingo]

They didn't shop at Fountain Tire.

[Bernard]

Since Labour Day I have been in Vancouver about half the time and I use transit over there a lot.  I love the Compass card and I would like to see them introduce it through BC for all transit.

[Hastings1066]

Have any of you come across this facebook page? It just reeks of creepy.... https://www.facebook...?hc_ref=SEARCH 

[VicHockeyFan]

No gas tax for transit in today's budget.