10199 replies to this topic

[vortoozo]

We need a serious express bus to the ferry and the airport.   The time the #70 wastes going into Sidney is stupid.  

 

Sidney already has the #72 that is what the #70 used to be.  

 

What service would you propose cutting in order to free up the service hours necessary in order to make that happen?

 

There is an express from the ferry to Victoria that bypasses Sidney - the 70X - which meets the busier sailings. Leaves 5 minutes before the 70. Those busses are scheduled to arrive downtown about 10 minutes before the 70. So the time for the Sidney deviation is about 5 minutes. That's not unreasonable for public transit.

 

It's precisely that the 70 serves Sidney that I don't understand the frustration about the 72 also going to the airport. If you're heading to Victoria from Sidney, then you're already taking the 70 so the extra few minutes that the 72 takes won't make an iota of difference.

[mbjj]

When we were riding the tram in Bordeaux, two or three transit police would get on together and check tickets. If you had no ticket, off you went. I guess they got onto different trams throughout the day. Maybe we need roving inspectors on buses. 

[Victoria Watcher]

The 12·6 km, three-station Federal Way Link extension of the Sound Transit light rail 1 Line that serves the Seattle-Tacoma area opened on December 6.

 

The extension took the 1 Line southwards from Angle Lake, which is located south of SeaTac airport, to Federal Way Downtown.

 

 

Extensive park and ride facilities are a feature of the expanded 1 Line. Car parks were added along the line to provide a total of nearly 2 000 new parking spaces: 500 at Kent Des Moines and 1 105 at Star Lake, while an addition to the existing facility at Federal Way Downtown provided 341 additional parking spaces to the 1 224 already in use. Further housing is expected to be built on surplus property adjacent to Federal Way Downtown station.

 

The project forms part of the Sound Transit 2 regional transport development scheme that was approved by voters in 2008. The Federal Way project groundbreaking was held in summer 2020.

 

 

https://www.railwayg...r/70093.article

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2025 - 10:35 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Sidney’s mayor says he is “deeply concerned” about proposed transit changes that would improve airport bus service while cutting back on Sidney routes.

 

Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith said at last week’s council meeting that improved airport connectivity is important, but it should not be achieved by reducing service to Sidney residents.

 

He is encouraging Sidney residents and workers to participate in a public consultation period early next year.

 

The proposed changes include rerouting the existing Route 72 Swartz Bay/Downtown bus to serve the airport on all trips, and discontinuing Route 88 between Sidney and the airport.

Route 81, which serves Brentwood Bay, Saanichton, Sidney and Swartz Bay, would be rerouted to areas previously served by Route 88.

 

The changes would mean a roughly 10-minute increase in travel time between Victoria and Sidney or Swartz Bay, reduced service along Lochside Drive in south Sidney and loss of a direct route between south Sidney and the Brentwood Bay ferry and Butchart Gardens, a B.C. Transit report says.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...r-says-11594904

[splashflash]

https://www2.gov.bc....tter_update.pdf

The following construction activities are anticipated to begin/continue
over the next month:
• Continued work on the North Bridge deck and parapet.
• South Bridge deck, abutment, and approach work beginning in
early December.
• Continued work for the BC Transit bus stop along Highway 1.
• Ongoing lane closures, traffic control, and temporary crosswalk
along Highway 1 and Burnside Road West.

[Mike K.]

Transit schedule changes coming in Jan:

BC Transit and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission are advising customers of a service expansion, effective January 5, 2026.

Several changes are being made to improve customer experience across the Victoria Regional Transit System (VRTS).

Route 40 Dockyard/UVic via Admirals/McKenzie is a new route that will improve travel between Esquimalt, View Royal and Saanich.

New bus stops will be added on the Trans-Canada Highway at Carey Road and on Ravine Way at Vernon Avenue.

Several routes across the system are being adjusted to improve connections and reliability, including:

Route 81 Brentwood/Saanichton/Sidney/Swatz Bay will end at the Saanichton Exchange and become Route 75 Saanichton/Royal Oak/Downtown.

Route 87 Tsawout/Sidney via Dean Park combines route 82 and 87 and will double the number of trips to Tsawout First Nation.

Route 88 Airport/Sidney via McDonald Park will have improved service to the Victoria International Airport and West Sidney. Regular trips that do not go to West Sidney will operate as Route 88A Airport/Sidney.

Other changes being made to the VRTS include:

Route 39 will be split into two routes, Route 38 Westhills/Interurban/Royal Oak and Route 39 UVic/Royal Oak/Interurban. These routes will match up better with classes at Camosun and UVic.

Route 51 becomes Route 51X Westhills/UVic McKenzie Express and is extended to Westhills and rerouted via Goldstream Ave.

Route 65 will be rerouted through northeast Sooke and will better serve the Arranwood and Steeple Chase neighbourhoods, with added peak-hour trips along Church/Helgesen.

Route 72 (to Swartz Bay) will be rerouted via Carey Road and Ravine Way to use the new transit-only lane and serve the new bus stop on Ravine Way at Vernon Avenue.
Route 75 (to Saanichton) will be adjusted to travel via Highway 17 and Elk Lake Drive instead of West Saanich Road.

handyDART service will be expanded. This includes seven new buses and additional service hours to address peak demand. Service continues to run Monday – Sunday from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.

[Mike K.]

BCT release this AM included the following:

On southern Vancouver Island milestones were reached and ongoing investments were made to the expanding RapidBus network and the infrastructure that supports fast, reliable transit in the Victoria region. This year, the newest segment of on-street infrastructure was completed along the Island Highway in View Royal as dedicated transit and queue jump lanes were installed and new bus stops and shelters are now in service. Investments from the Province of BC to speed up Route 95 Blink RapidBus service between downtown Victoria and the West Shore got underway with the start of construction on dedicated transit lanes along Highway 1, including an expansion of the Colquitz Bridge. Route 95, the Victoria Regional Transit System’s busiest route, records more than 11,000 daily boardings, with passengers experiencing travel time reductions of up to 20 minutes resulting from transit-priority enhancements.

We have called for proof of this time savings. Old bus schedules do not reflect a 20 minute savings in the current schedules.

[Victoria Watcher]

With transit fares on the rise in a number of Canadian cities, some experts say it’s time to rethink how we fund public transportation.

Calgary hiked fares from $3.80 to $4 per ride earlier this month, and Ottawa just approved an increase of 10 cents, to $4.10.

Earlier this year, Edmonton raised cash fares from $3.50 to $3.75 in February, while Victoria jumped from $2.50 to $3 in March and Vancouver went up from $3.20 to $3.35 in July.

The rising fares are a reflection of mounting pressures on transit systems.

Energy, maintenance and labour costs are up, while gas tax revenues that help fund public transit are declining, due in part to more electric and energy-efficient vehicles.

Meanwhile, transit organizations are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, when ridership and fare revenues plummeted. Emergency government funds have dried up and ridership hasn't fully returned to pre-pandemic rates — in April, it had rebounded to 84.2 per cent of April 2019 numbers, according to Statistics Canada.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...anada-9.7025634

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 December 2025 - 03:48 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

while gas tax revenues that help fund public transit are declining, due in part to more electric and energy-efficient vehicles.

 

 

 

Canada's gasoline consumption has been rising post-pandemic, reaching 43.8 billion litres in 2024, nearing pre-COVID levels (peaked at ~44.8 billion in 2019) after sharp drops in 2020. Sales increased steadily from 2021 (40.2B L) to 2024, with 2022 seeing 42.5 billion litres and 2023 reaching 43.6 billion litres, showing a strong recovery in travel and commuting. 

Key Figures by Year (Gross Sales)

• 2024: ~43.8 billion litres (up 0.5% from 2023)
• 2023: 43.6 billion litres (up 2.6% from 2022)
• 2022: 42.5 billion litres (up 5.6% from 2021)
• 2021: 40.2 billion litres (up 4.1% from 2020)
• 2020: ~38.6 billion litres (a 20-year low due to pandemic restrictions) 

[Victoria Watcher]

Energy, maintenance and labour costs are up

 

 

 

 

Canadian diesel prices from 2020-2025 show volatility, spiking significantly in 2022 (peaking around Nov 2022 at ~$2.30/L nationwide) and fluctuating, with recent 2025 data showing prices around $1.30-$1.40/L (Toronto) and drops in early 2025, but specific monthly data for all Canada requires accessing resources like Statista (subscription) or government sites like Natural Resources Canada for detailed charts.

[Victoria Watcher]

The rising fares are a reflection of mounting pressures on transit systems.

 

 

 

 

 

Or maybe increased fare-box prices is a good thing, they have lagged well behind.  $2.00 in 1990 is $4.13 today.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 December 2025 - 04:05 AM.

[Mike K.]

Enforcing payment would be a start as would rejecting boardings where adults are using kid passes. There has not been a single bus I’ve ridden on this year where I could see passengers boarding, where at least one person got on without paying.

So we all know the response to this. They’ll want more gas tax revenues, and higher property tax revenue to take more money from those who don’t ride transit, and relaxation of fare payment.

[Victoria Watcher]

Maybe you should not rush to buy 206 unproven buses.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.C. Transit has filed a lawsuit against a bus manufacturer, saying it faces a $5.2-million repair bill to fix 206 leaky buses.

 

The publicly owned transit company that runs buses across much of B.C. — including Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island — alleges the Vicinity Motor (Bus) Corp. breached its contract to properly design or manufacture the low-floor buses to withstand B.C.’s rainy season, according to the lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Dec. 23.

 

A water test was to be applied to each bus to simulate western B.C. rain conditions and the daily vehicle wash cycle, according to the claim.

 

But inspections found water leaks in at least 122 buses caused by improperly sealed windows and rear doors, and an inadequate number of drains that caused water to pool inside the buses in six areas and to rot the plywood flooring, it said.

 

The buses made by the Aldergrove-based company were supposed to last 10 years, or one million kilometres, but as a result of the defects, “the life expectancy of the vehicles was shortened,” according to the claim.

 

The problem was caused by defective design, engineering and manufacturing by Vicinity, B.C. Transit alleged.

 

The lawsuit also alleged Vicinity knew about the defects, concealed them and failed to fix them.

 

https://www.timescol...-buses-11687318

 

 

 

B.C. Transit said in an email it wouldn’t comment on the active lawsuit. But the provincial Crown corporation said it has about 190 Vicinity buses operating in 28 communities in B.C., or about 20 per cent of its fleet.

 

Several Vicinity buses were delivered to Greater Victoria.

 

“There is no impact to service at this time in any locations with Vicinity buses,” B.C. Transit said.

 

B.C. Transit didn’t say what happened to the remaining 16 Vicinity buses.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 January 2026 - 06:11 AM.

[Mike K.]

Vicinity is a Chinese bus brand, with units manufactured in Abbotsford. They have always been problematic, from what I’ve been told. BCT has been using them for quite some time now.

[Victoria Watcher]

Vinsanity.




B.C. Transit and Vicinity both investigated the leaks but the problem was “masked for some time” because of the cyclical nature of seasonal rains, said the claim.




Hmmmmm. Plywood floors seems an interesting choice. But I guess still common.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 January 2026 - 08:24 AM.

[LJ]

Perhaps send those busses up to the Okanagan.

[Blair M.]

I don't believe for a minute that high-speed (or any) rail between downtown and the Westshore will happen in our lifetimes, but I've also been around long enough to realize that winning over hearts and minds is always the first step towards achieving the "impossible".

 

I've also participated in enough special events so as to never underestimate the power of a few really catchy tunes and a cleverly animated flyover as the first step in winning those hearts and minds: https://www.youtube....h?v=Q5Usk6vlCwE

Edited by Blair M., 03 January 2026 - 10:12 AM.

[splashflash]

https://cfjctoday.co...gin-in-january/

Construction on electric bus infrastructure at BC Transit Kamloops depot to begin in January

KAMLOOPS — Construction on electric bus infrastructure at the BC Transit bus depot in Kamloops is set to begin in January and wrap up in the fall.


BC Transit says 16 charging station will be installed at the Ord Road depot, along with power distribution infrastructure and other electric charging equipment.

“The public will not be impacted by construction, and no traffic disruptions are expected,” a statement from BC Transit said. “Customers can expect bus service to continue as scheduled.”

The Crown Corporation says eight of its transit systems are in line for electrification projects, including Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Nelson, Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Victoria, and Whistler.

BC Transit has ordered 125 heavy-duty electric buses from Nova Bus and New Flyer in 2024, and it notes 15 electric buses already on the roads in Victoria.


“Electrification infrastructure projects in Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Powell River and Sunshine Coast are made possible thanks to joint funding through the Zero Emissions Transit Fund totaling $164 million from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, with contributions from local government partners,” BC Transit added.

“Funding for BC Transit’s electric buses and infrastructure was announced in July 2023, supported in part by the Zero Emission Transit Fund and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.”

Kamloops is scheduled to get 10 heavy-duty electric buses once construction at the Ord Road depot wraps up.

These new electric buses are part of BC Transit’s goal of electrifying its entire fleet by 2040. Unlike some other BC Transit systems, conventional buses in Kamloops already operate using compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of diesel.

According to BC Transit, its electric buses can drive between 250 km and 400 km on a single charge, depending on various conditions. It notes buses will be charged overnight for about five to six hours, in preparation for the next day.

“[Our findings show us] that we don’t need a 100 per cent direct one charger to one bus radio, and we can do intermittent day time charging to supplement things,” Timmermans added. “As we get more and more vehicles, we’ll optimize the vehicles that are running service, and we can also optimize our charging.”

[Victoria Watcher]

Three years after Aldergrove-based Vicinity Motor Corp opened a brand-new factory in Ferndale, Washington, the facility has been sold to regain some of the money the bankrupt firm owes creditors.

A Dec. 19 order filed in B.C. Supreme Court approves the sale of the 62,000 sq. ft. plant and 148 all-electric VMC 1200 trucks for $10.5 million U.S. to C & Y Investment LLC, a California company.

Vicinity had opened its new “Buy America compliant” vehicle assembly facility in 2023, intended to be the company’s first U.S. assembly plant, saying it would have an assembly capacity of up to 850 low- and zero-emission buses and 6,250 Class 3 all-electric trucks.

Read more at: https://vicnews.com/...ld-by-receiver/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 January 2026 - 10:39 AM.

[Mike K.]

HandyDart is getting new booking technology. From BCT:

 

BC Transit is announcing it has signed a contract with Vancouver-based Spare to deliver new technology that will enhance the customer experience for more than 20,000 handyDART customers in transit systems across the province.

 

Demand for handyDART and accessible public transit continues to grow. BC Transit understands that handyDART customers want shorter wait times to book a ride, easier booking options and clearer communication about when their bus will arrive. That is why BC Transit is excited to announce this first step in introducing the Custom Transit Solution, a new technology solution for all transit systems that offer handyDART services.

 

handyDART is BC Transit’s door-to-door service for people who cannot independently, safely use fixed-route transit. In most communities, this service is delivered as handyDART. The new digital solution will make handyDART service more reliable for customers who depend on this service. It will replace current booking and dispatch technology with modern technology that simplifies registration, booking and adjusting trips. handyDART Operators and Dispatchers will also have better tools to support more efficient scheduling, with the goal of providing more rides for more people.

 

The handyDART technology solution will deliver improvements to riders, families and caregivers, including:

 

An online portal to book and manage trips for those who don’t want to call a contact centre

A digital registration process

A mobile app and web portal with push notifications and in-app messages for real-time updates 

On-board trip mapping to support Operators with route navigation and real-time updates

Better data to plan potential future service expansion and enhance service delivery

 

 

The scope of the project was shaped through extensive consultation with customers, operating companies and accessibility experts, including the Victoria Regional Transit System’s Accessible Transit Advisory Committee, the Canadian Urban Transit Association, mobility specialists and government partners. More than 1,300 riders also shared their feedback through BC Transit’s handyDART rider survey.

 

Now that a vendor is selected, BC Transit will work with local government partners and operating companies to determine a rollout strategy for the new technology. BC Transit will update customers when more details are available. Once completed, the handyDART digital platform will also give BC Transit and local partners better data to forecast demand, plan for the future and advocate for funding where it is needed most.

 

BC Transit’s Custom Transit Solution Project is jointly funded by the Province of British Columbia and local government partners. The total cost for this project is $6 million.

 

 

About Spare

 

Vancouver-based Spare is the modern operations platform helping government agencies deliver more reliable, efficient and community-focused mobility. With deep roots in British Columbia, Spare's founders and team live and work in the communities they serve. Spare helps agencies deliver safer fleets, lower costs, improve on-time performance, and meet rising expectations for digital self-service while supporting staff with tools that reduce manual work. Spare works with transit agencies across Canada including Winnipeg Transit, Saskatoon Transit, Brampton Transit, and Hamilton Street Railway. Learn more at spare.com.