BC Transit has launched the Blink RapidBus line between the West Shore and downtown Victoria, British Columbia. The new Route 95 West Shore-Downtown line was added, and the Route 50 Langford/Downtown is now discontinued.
The new 95 West Shore-Downtown line travels along the same route as the 50 but with more frequency and with fewer stops. A route 95 bus now arrives every seven to eight minutes during peak travel times and a minimum of every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Sundays. The route 95 will still run earlier than 7 a.m. and later than 10 p.m., but some of the bus arrival times are longer than every 15 minutes during the off-peak hours.
“BC Transit’s new RapidBus service on Highway 1 means people travelling between the growing Westshore communities and downtown Victoria will have better, more frequent bus service. At a time when other cities across the country are having to cut service levels in their public transit systems, our government is investing in the public transit that people need - and new routes like this one are the result of our positive decision to invest in a better transit future,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure, BC Transit.
The implementation of Blink RapidBus builds on recent bus priority lane investments along Douglas Street and the Trans-Canada Highway, which saves 20 minutes for customers in peak morning and afternoon commute periods.
“Launching the Blink RapidBus service that will move people around our region quickly and reliably is great news for the Victoria region. I’m hopeful the excitement and momentum around the new Blink West Shore-Downtown line will help us work towards more rapid transit service to connect people to places they want to go in and around the South Island,” said Maja Tait, chair, Victoria Regional Transit Commission.
The vision for Blink RapidBus is to deliver transit service that outperforms the personal automobile in speed, comfort and reliability. The goal of RapidBus is to connect areas with the highest travel demands in the region using a combination of corridor treatments, branded services and improved station amenities.
“The new Blink RapidBus service is a substantial positive development for regional transportation that will benefit thousands of commuters coming downtown. By connecting our communities with a quick and reliable bus service, Route 95 empowers people from across our region to choose public transit over car travel. It’s initiatives like this that expand accessibility and affordability and enhance our local response to climate change, improving the livability of our city now and years into the future,” said Marianne Alto, mayor, city of Victoria.
