10291 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

About 27 million passengers took a B.C. Transit bus in the capital region during the 2025-26 fiscal year, paying an average fare of $1.56 and bringing in just over $42 million in passenger revenue.

 

Financial statements show passenger revenue was 4.7 per cent higher than expected due to a fare increase in April 2025, which saw the cost of a single adult fare jump to $3 per trip from $2.50.

 

B.C. Transit had budgeted for diesel at $1.75 per litre, but prices averaged at $1.42 per litre after the B.C. carbon tax was repealed in April 2025.

 

Fuel and fleet maintenance costs came in under budget by a combined $6.4 million.

 

The province chips in about 69 per cent of operating costs, with the rest made up through local revenue, including fares, property tax levies and levies on motor fuel sold in the region.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...ervice-12292549

[Victoria Watcher]

Transit bus in the capital region during the 2025-26 fiscal year, paying an average fare of $1.56

 

Not sure how to get to this number.

 

A single ride was $2.50 and is now $3.  Day pass (also required for return travel) is $5/6.

 

A 30-day pass is $85.  $85 divided by 22 riding days, 2 trips per day would be $1.93.

 

Now, that's all for adults.  Teens and students and seniors pay less ($45) for a monthly pass, and kids 12 and under pay nothing. 

 

Low-income seniors can get an annual pass for $45 from the Priovince.  So do those on disability benefits.  It's unclear how much money the Province specifically gives to the transit system for each of these passes.

 

For UVic students, the robot says this:

 

 

Total per student (approx.): Around $170+ per year flows to/support BC Transit when combining the main fee and UVic subsidy (for two terms), though exact per-student remittances depend on enrollment, opt-outs, and contract terms. UVic/UVSS handle collection and remittance.

 

 

Maybe it all works out.  It usually does.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 18 May 2026 - 01:39 AM.

[Mike K.]

Fares go up 20%, but overall revenue is only up 4.7%?

Accounting for passes that remained stable in price, you’d still think revenue would be higher than 4.7% after a 20% cash fare increase? I dunno.

But there absolutely is a problem with riders -not- paying any fare.

[lanforod]

I had the same thought, Mike. Maybe the passes need a 20% lift.

[Mike K.]

Bus lanes open on Burnside bridges. Province:

New bus-on-shoulder lanes are open on the Colquitz River Bridges over Burnside Road in Saanich, helping people using public transit get around more quickly.

“These new bus-on-shoulder lanes on the Colquitz River Bridges along Highway 1 will help keep buses moving reliably through busy traffic and improve travel times for commuters during peak hours,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. “With construction of this portion of the project complete, people will notice a smoother, faster commute right away.”

Keeping public transit moving faster

The new bus-on-shoulder lanes allow buses to bypass congestion at a key pinch point, helping transit riders get through the corridor faster during peak travel periods.

“The new bus-on-shoulder lanes at the Colquitz River Bridges will make a real difference in people’s daily lives,” said Stephanie McLean, MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke and federal Secretary of State (Seniors). “This work will save commuters time and support more sustainable transportation choices. Our government is proud to invest in infrastructure that strengthens communities and supports long-term growth.”

The new lanes create a more continuous transit corridor between the existing transit lanes along Douglas Street and Highway 1 and the McKenzie Interchange. The lanes will also connect to the future Highway 1 bus-on-shoulder project that is under construction between the McKenzie Interchange and Colwood. It is expected to be finished in 2027.

“The opening of a bus-on-shoulder lane across the Colquitz Bridges is an important step toward faster, more reliable travel for everyone travelling on a bus along Highway 1,” said Erinn Pinkerton, president and CEO of BC Transit, “The extension of the current transit lanes strengthens our RapidBus service and reinforces public transit as an efficient, reliable transportation solution for moving people between the Westshore and downtown Victoria.”

Building for a growing region

This section of Highway 1 is one of the busiest in the region and a key connection for people travelling between the Westshore and downtown Victoria. More than 300 buses travel this section each day, carrying thousands of transit riders. The additional lanes will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and help make transit service faster and more reliable, particularly during peak travel periods.

“Improvements to regional transit service play a critical role in creating livable communities,” said Dean Murdock, mayor of the District of Saanich. “By reducing congestion, these new lanes will allow more residents to get where they need to go more quickly and sustainably.”

The scope of the Colquitz River Bridges project includes:

widened and seismically upgraded both existing two‑lane bridges over Burnside Road on Highway 1 between Tillicum Road and the McKenzie Interchange
added one bus-on-shoulder lane in both directions on the bridges
new bridge deck drainage system, including rain garde and sediment catch basin, and replaced invasive plants with native trees and vegetation to better protect the Colquitz River
Quick Facts:

The total project cost is $33.5 million, with $23.5 million from the Province and $10 million from the federal government through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
This project supports the Province’s South Island Transportation Strategy, which focuses on improving safety, reliability and resiliency through co-ordinated highway, transit and active transportation investments.

[Victoria Watcher]

Transit riders in Greater Victoria — and most of the rest of B.C. — can finally pay for their bus journeys by tapping their credit cards, debit cards or smartphone wallets.

When B.C. Transit began trying out the Umo payment system in Victoria-area buses in the spring of 2023, it had anticipated it would bring in mobile wallet, credit and debit card payment by the time the system was fully rolled out across the province.

But it ended up taking about three years for B.C. Transit and Umo to make that happen.

Until now, riders who didn’t pay with cash had to use an Umo card or app on their smartphones.

B.C. Transit CEO Erinn Pinkerton said at a news conference Tuesday that contactless payments were trialed in Whistler 12 weeks ago, and already 18 per cent of riders are choosing to tap to pay for their fares.

https://www.timescol...-buses-12300821

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 May 2026 - 11:44 AM.

[LJ]

Bus lanes open on Burnside bridges. Province:

New bus-on-shoulder lanes are open on the Colquitz River Bridges over Burnside Road in Saanich, helping people using public transit get around more quickly.

“These new bus-on-shoulder lanes on the Colquitz River Bridges along Highway 1 will help keep buses moving reliably through busy traffic and improve travel times for commuters during peak hours,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. “With construction of this portion of the project complete, people will notice a smoother, faster commute right away.”

Keeping public transit moving faster

The new bus-on-shoulder lanes allow buses to bypass congestion at a key pinch point, helping transit riders get through the corridor faster during peak travel periods.

“The new bus-on-shoulder lanes at the Colquitz River Bridges will make a real difference in people’s daily lives,” said Stephanie McLean, MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke and federal Secretary of State (Seniors). “This work will save commuters time and support more sustainable transportation choices. Our government is proud to invest in infrastructure that strengthens communities and supports long-term growth.”

The new lanes create a more continuous transit corridor between the existing transit lanes along Douglas Street and Highway 1 and the McKenzie Interchange. The lanes will also connect to the future Highway 1 bus-on-shoulder project that is under construction between the McKenzie Interchange and Colwood. It is expected to be finished in 2027.

“The opening of a bus-on-shoulder lane across the Colquitz Bridges is an important step toward faster, more reliable travel for everyone travelling on a bus along Highway 1,” said Erinn Pinkerton, president and CEO of BC Transit, “The extension of the current transit lanes strengthens our RapidBus service and reinforces public transit as an efficient, reliable transportation solution for moving people between the Westshore and downtown Victoria.”

Building for a growing region

This section of Highway 1 is one of the busiest in the region and a key connection for people travelling between the Westshore and downtown Victoria. More than 300 buses travel this section each day, carrying thousands of transit riders. The additional lanes will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and help make transit service faster and more reliable, particularly during peak travel periods.

“Improvements to regional transit service play a critical role in creating livable communities,” said Dean Murdock, mayor of the District of Saanich. “By reducing congestion, these new lanes will allow more residents to get where they need to go more quickly and sustainably.”

The scope of the Colquitz River Bridges project includes:

widened and seismically upgraded both existing two‑lane bridges over Burnside Road on Highway 1 between Tillicum Road and the McKenzie Interchange
added one bus-on-shoulder lane in both directions on the bridges
new bridge deck drainage system, including rain garde and sediment catch basin, and replaced invasive plants with native trees and vegetation to better protect the Colquitz River
Quick Facts:

The total project cost is $33.5 million, with $23.5 million from the Province and $10 million from the federal government through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
This project supports the Province’s South Island Transportation Strategy, which focuses on improving safety, reliability and resiliency through co-ordinated highway, transit and active transportation investments.

I wonder how many drivers will try to bypass traffic by sneaking in and out of the bus lane?

 

It seems silly to me to provide a whole lane for what, one vehicle every 15 minutes? It is going to be empty the majority of time.

 

They have signed it with a diamond symbol which in most places means HOV vehicles, if they had included pullouts for the busses at stops they could have made it into a true HOV lane and reduced commuting times for everybody, not just bus riders.

[Victoria Watcher]

It seems silly to me to provide a whole lane for what, one vehicle every 15 minutes? It is going to be empty the majority of time.

 

They have signed it with a diamond symbol which in most places means HOV vehicles, if they had included pullouts for the busses at stops they could have made it into a true HOV lane and reduced commuting times for everybody, not just bus riders.

 

We are way too woke for that, here.

[Victoria Watcher]

BC Transit $12.6M surplus locked in red tape, advocate wants it put to good use

 

“We would really love to see a system where we have more certainty year-to-year as to what we’re going to get for expansion,” Holland noted. “The system we have hasn’t been changed basically since 1977, and that’s a really long time. The city has grown a lot.”

 

https://cheknews.ca/...od-use-1325293/

 

 

 

 

That sounds like a bit of a fib.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 May 2026 - 03:37 AM.

[Mike K.]

It’s also just two weeks worth of funding. It’s not exactly a major amount.

[Victoria Watcher]

Transit contract talks in Greater Victoria have reached an impasse, with unionized workers preparing for a strike vote later this week.

Unifor Local 333-BC says negotiations with BC Transit broke down Thursday, May 22, after the two sides failed to reach agreement on several key issues.

According to the union, major sticking points in bargaining include increased sick time, enhanced dental coverage, more time for between-trip washroom breaks for bus drivers and peer-to-peer training for maintenance workers.

https://cheknews.ca/...-union-1326682/

[Mike K.]

Last major strike here was back in 2001, and lasted two weeks according to the robot.