Study paves way for Rapid Bus on Saanich Peninsula

B.C. Transit and the province are seeking a consultant for a feasibility study into a RapidBus service from downtown to Swartz Bay along the Patricia Pat Highway.

“It’s early days,” James Wadsworth, B.C. Transit project development manager, said Friday. It normally takes three to five years before a project comes into service, he said.

B.C. Transit introduced its Blink RapidBus service in April to serve the growing West Shore. With that service, buses are scheduled to arrive every seven to eight minutes during peak times.

When it comes to the Saanich Peninsula service, B.C. Transit has been working on conceptual drawings for transit stations and estimating their costs. Wadsworth said. B.C. Transit will collaborate with the province and local governments as it develops the plan.

Work with the consultant will examine where stations might go. From there, a plan would be put together that would see engagement with the Victoria Regional Transit Commission and the public, Wadsworth said.

Stations are expected to connect with other transportation modes to extend their reach. Their design and locations are expected to help reduce travel time and maximize the system’s capacity, a Victoria Regional RapidBus Implementation Strategy document says. This could mean several doors for boarding, with fares paid in advance to make travel more efficient.

The term RapidBus refers to a transit service that outperforms automobiles in terms of speed, comfort and reliability, the strategy document says.

B.C. Transit is pursuing RapidBus service in the expectation that ridership will grow by thousands of passengers in the coming years. It is striving to operate a system that responds to climate change, affordability, population growth, traffic congestion and an aging population, its strategy report says. “RapidBus is the cornerstone to supporting sustainable growth in the region.”