The Martlet

Students making the long, winding bus trip to the Swartz Bay en route to the Lower Mainland for Easter can be glad they won't have to make the same slow ride through Sidney next year. BC Transit announced it will add more express buses running up the peninsula starting in September.

Last week senior vice-president of BC Transit Ron Drolet got approval on his fall 2008 service plan, which includes express ferry-bound buses leaving the city centre every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and an increase to evening and weekend service. With limited stops, Drolet estimates the busses should make it to Swartz Bay in 45 minutes — 20 minutes faster than the current route 70.

“This is a logical improvement that’s long overdue,” said Drolet.

In addition to the express buses, the peninsula will get a couple new conventional routes, a commuter service and some community bus runs, connecting residents to the Victoria core. This is possible because of the provincial investment announced in January of $4.75 billion over the next 12 years dedicated to improving transit around B.C.

“We were at a standstill for a long time before that funding came through,” said Drolet. “Now we can do what we should have done a long time ago.”

Drolet said just having the number 70 and 75 routes between Victoria and Sidney made sense when the peninsula was less populated. But he said that community has now grown into an important target market, along with ferry users.

Still, it takes time, usually close to a year, to recruit new drivers and buy new buses. BC Transit ordered 16 additional double-deckers and eight mini community buses, the majority of which will be for the peninsula, and the rest for a new route in Langford and increased frequency on existing routes, including some UVic-bound buses.

“We’re really rushing to have everything ready for September,” said Drolet.

But he admitted this probably won't satisfy the ever-increasing demand of university students and employees making daily trips to campus. Currently, 30 per cent of all trips to campus are made by bus, a number that has increased every year since the UPass program was introduced. “We’re in a constant run to keep up with trips to UVic,” said Drolet. “We have no idea when the numbers will plateau.”