Bus riders in Victoria can expect to pay a little more at the fare box starting next spring.
At its June 18 meeting, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission approved an increase in the fares for single rides and Day Passes.
Starting April 1, single rides will cost three dollars and a Day Pass will run you six dollars.
Staff had recommended increasing the 30-day concession pass by ten dollars, but ultimately decided to keep it at the current $45.
Transit revenues from the Provincial Gas Tax have been dwindling as British Columbians change how they get around.
Keeping fares the same would likely require an increase to property taxes around the Capital Region.
The last fare increase in the Victoria area was back in 2010.
University Students Call for Return of Ferry Connection
University students are hopeful a popular local route between the campus and the Swartz Bay Ferry terminal will be re-instated.
Route 76 previously shuttled students on Friday afternoons and Sunday evening when the university was in session, but the service was temporarily suspended in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.
The U-Vic Students' Society began providing its own shuttle service in 2019.
CFAX 1070 has reached out to learn exactly how much the Society pays for this service.
The Society says their shuttle has been consistently at capacity since 2021.
The Commission approved a cost-benefit analysis to be performed on re-instating the route to its former glory.
Recruitment Shifts from Operators to Mechanics
The recent push to recruit BC Transit operators seems to have been a success.
Victoria Transit now has 579 active operators and will now post operator openings bi-monthly.
Cross-country efforts to recruit mechanics have increased, however, as only 47 of 53 active positions are filled.
Nonetheless, Victoria buses delivered slightly better than 98 percent of scheduled service between February 1 and May 1 of this year.
Calls for Improved Interregional Transit
A local advocacy group is calling for more frequent and more affordable transit options between regions on Vancouver Island.
Better Island Transit is flagging a gap in interregional transit service between Victoria and Duncan.
In his presentation to the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, spokesperson Todd Litman compared the $2.50 Victorians pay to travel to Sooke with the $10 paid to travel to Duncan.
His group is calling for hourly service to be implemented between Duncan and Victoria at a rate of $5 dollars each way.
Transit staff say the cost of the two weekday commuter routes (Routes 66 and 99) is split 50-50 between the Victoria and Cowichan Valley regions. Service on Saturdays is funded solely by Cowichan Valley.
Litman says B-C has no standard process for interregional bus planning.
Litman also suggests the Province shift to an advanced funding model used elsewhere in BC to reduce the burden on local service providers.
In the end, it was decided to arrange a meeting between the chairs and staff of the two regional transit commissions to explore future improvements.