B.C. Transit advisories for Greater Victoria on Friday afternoon
B.C. Transit says there are potential issues with the following bus trips Friday morning:
- 8 Oak Bay - from Camosun College Interurban at 2:51 p.m.
- 11 UVIC - from Tillicum Centre at 3:31 p.m.
- 50 Langford - from Government and Superior at 2:51 p.m.
- 4 UVIC - from Fairfield and Blanshard at 4:29 p.m.
- 26 Dockyard - from UVIC at 2:04 p.m.
The following trips will not operate:
- 14 UVIC - From Vic General Hospital at 2:54 p.m.
- 11 Tillicum Centre - From Oak Bay Junction at 3:11 p.m.
- 6A Downtown Via Emily Carr - From Royal Oak Exchange at 4:15 p.m.
- 6A Royal Oak Via Emily Carr - From Douglas and View at 4:52 p.m.
For more information, go to B.C. Transit's advisory page.
The transit system was plagued with cancellations in September and October as mechanics struggled to keep Victoria’s aging fleet on the road.
B.C. Transit borrowed seven buses from Abbotsford and Kelowna in an attempt to prevent trip cancellations on Greater Victoria routes.
The two-year-old buses — four from Abbotsford and three from Kelowna — were hoped to help improve the reliability of bus service, according Kevin Schubert, general manager of B.C. Transit’s Victoria operation.
B.C. Transit is still delivering more than 99 per cent of its scheduled services every day, which includes 3,200 trips on weekdays, according to spokesman Jonathon Dyck.
There are 302 buses in the fleet, based in Victoria and Langford.
B.C. Transit’s Victoria operation saw an almost 10 per cent increase in ridership in September, year-over-year. Ridership on the No. 50 bus from the West Shore to downtown Victoria has jumped 44 per cent in five years.
In 2020 there will be 80 new buses, which will reduce the average fleet age from 12 years to six years. A significant percentage of the new buses will operate on compressed natural gas. Ten electric buses are scheduled to arrive in 2021.
The borrowed buses from Abbotsford and Kelowna will be returned when Victoria’s new buses arrive.
— With files from Louise Dickson