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The flagship RapidBus route between the West Shore and Downtown Victoria will launch on April 10. This new RapidBus service will replace the existing Route 50 Langford/Downtown. RapidBus is transit service that outperforms the personal automobile in speed, comfort and reliability.
When it launches, BC Transit customers will experience an increase in service levels along the new West Shore-Downtown route. Customers can expect a bus to arrive a minimum of every 15 minutes at RapidBus stops between 7am and 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 10pm on Sundays, including additional weekday peak service to improve the customer experience and service reliability. This increase in service builds on previous initiatives to prioritize rapid transit in the region with the bus lanes along Douglas Street and along the Trans-Canada Highway.
RapidBus Implementation Strategy
BC Transit has collaborated with municipal, regional and provincial partners to develop the Victoria Regional RapidBus Implementation Strategy. This strategy builds on the momentum of the South Island Transportation Strategy and provides the strategic and technical foundation needed to accelerate the implementation of RapidBus services throughout the Victoria region. One of the most exciting outcomes of the strategy is the introduction of the flagship Westshore-Downtown Victoria Line in the next three years and then subsequent lines across the region.
The implementation of RapidBus services in the Victoria Region has the potential to significantly increase transit mode share by:
Shaping and supporting growth and regional connectivity
Improving passenger comfort and convenience
Improving efficiency and capacity of the transit system
Support the region’s climate action goals
BC Transit is committed to contributing to strong, more sustainable communities in the Victoria Region. The need to realize this potential in the Victoria Region is increasingly important because of factors such as climate change, affordability, population growth, traffic congestion, an aging population and the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RapidBus is transit service that outperforms the personal automobile in speed, comfort and reliability. It is connected, frequent, fast and reliable. The map below summarizes the key corridors where RapidBus lines will be pursued over the coming years.
What are the next steps?
The RapidBus Implementation Strategy has been divided into three different phases:
Phase 1: Implementation of Westshore to Downtown Victoria RapidBus Line
Phase 2: Continue Design and Conceptual Analysis of McKenzie and Peninsula RapidBus Lines
Phase 3: Explore Opportunities to Expand the RapidBus Network to Other Parts of the Victoria Region
It is expected that these phases will progress concurrently.
Rapid transit is designed to improve travel time, reliability, passenger comfort and convenience along an exclusive right-of-way. A rapid transit system provides frequent, high-capacity service that runs all day, every day.
Rapid transit is not a substitute or replacement for local bus service or commuter rail, which perform different functions. Local bus service operates in mixed traffic and has more closely-spaced stops. Commuter rail connects distant centres during peak commuting hours.
The fine for being in a priority bus lane is $109. The Victoria City Police will engage in an active education campaign in the coming weeks.
Update January 2018
Douglas Southbound Lane Extension
Tolmie Avenue to Hillside Avenue
Construction is set to begin in late January for the southbound Douglas Street bus and bike priority lanes, which will reach from Tolmie Avenue to Hillside Avenue.
As the roadway is under the jurisdiction of the City of Victoria, the city is managing the construction contract process. Construction will include concrete and asphalt paving, sidewalk and boulevard restoration and improvements, tree and vegetation replacement, new line painting and new signal infrastructure.
The project is funded by the Province of BC and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission. Construction is expected to conclude in the fall of 2018.
