Victoria Regional Transit System

History

Transit service began in 1890 by the National Electric Tramway and Light Company with four street cars. On May 26, 1896 a packed streetcar crashed through the Point Ellice Bridge and 55 people were killed. The Consolidated Electric Railway Company was forced into receivership by the disaster and emerged reorganized as the British Columbia Electric Railway on April 15, 1897.

The use of buses started in 1923 for outlying routes. Although trolley buses were tried in 1945, the transit system was completely converted to motor buses in 1948. In 1961 BC Electric became part of BC Hydro, a Crown corporation, before the transit system was moved to the crown agency that would become BC Transit. In 2000 Victoria became the first city in North America to use double decker buses in regular public transit service as well as the first city to use hybrid double-decker buses.

As of August 24, 2015, BC Transit Begins Roll Out of Automated Bus Location 'Call Outs'. http://bctransit.com/victoria/news/article?nid=1403643807681

Operations

The transit system has 260 buses on 37 conventional routes and 18 community bus routes covering Greater Victoria including: Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Langford, Esquimalt, View Royal, Colwood, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Sidney, Metchosin, Highlands, and Sooke.

Primary bus route destinations are: Downtown Victoria, the University of Victoria, the Royal Oak Exchange in Saanich, Langford Exchange in Langford, and the Colwood Exchange in Colwood.

Routes

Routes are named for the direction of travel, thus each route has two names, indicating direction. Some routes also change in the evening or on weekends, which changes the route name again. Many routes are still known by their older, fixed names when buses used non-electronic signs, such as the 26 Crosstown, now Dockyard/UVic.

Fares

Child under age five: no charge.

Daypasses are sold on board the bus for $5.00.

10 tickets are $22.50

Monthly passes are: Adult $85, and Senior/Youth $45.00.

Students at the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, and Camosun College are part of the U-PASS program. All students pay for subsidized bus passes as part of their fees ($69.25 for four months).

Only one fare zone exists for the Victoria network, as in April 2008 the system eliminated the then $3 two zone fare.

Accessibility

Victoria's transit fleet is fully accessible, with either ramps or lifts providing access. Some bus stops are considered inaccessible due to their design, with inadequate space to accommodate wheelchairs or operation of vehicle ramps/lifts.

Paratransit services, called handyDART, are also available. Unlike the regular bus system HandyDART is contracted out. The system currently has 48 vans with door-to-door service for people who cannot ride the conventional buses. Booking is required and restrictions on who can use the system apply.

Fleet

Light Rail Transit (LRT)

A proposal exists to build a light rail line from downtown Victoria, routing along Douglas Street to Uptown, beside the Trans Canada Highway and the Galloping Goose bike path to Six Mile, then along the Old Island Highway through Colwood to Langford. Several options have been offered for LRT phased implementation, with all variations starting in downtown Victoria, and initially providing service to either Six Mile, Colwood Exchange or all the way to Langford Exchange. While the E&N rail corridor was considered as a potential route under this proposal, it wasn't selected as the ideal candidate. Full implementation of the line between downtown and Langford for initial opening is projected to cost $950 million.

Long term transit network plans outline potential rapid transit corridors for the future, including two that span from Uptown, with a corridor north to the Saanich Peninsula and Sidney, and a corridor east following McKenzie to UVic.

E&N rail corridor

The E&N rail tracks from up island provide access into Vic West, across the inlet from downtown Victoria. The E&N tracks used to run into downtown via the Johnson Street bridge, but as the bridge is being slated for replacement due to deterioration, the railway component of the bridge was permanently closed in 2011. Rail will not be installed on the new bridge initially, but will have provision to allow tracks to be installed in the future.

BC Transit has studied the E&N rail corridor as a commuter rail link from West Shore to Victoria. A bike path is being built beside the E&N tracks, while allowing rail service to continue. No formal plans have been announced for commuter rail on this corridor.

Board of Directors

The Victoria Regional Transit System is overseen by a 7-member transit commission. As of 2013, the board members are: