In order to improve service, BC Transit says it needs to increase fares in the Victoria region and wants the public to provide input on how much.
An increase in fares comes with the potential for between 5,920 and 11,276 more service hours across the region.
“The cost of operating Transit has increased, and with an ever-growing population, demand for service continues to grow,” BC Transit says on its survey page.
“The Victoria Regional Transit Commission is looking to balance funding sources to maintain and improve transit service in the Victoria Regional Transit System.”
There are four potential increased fares in Victoria on the table for BC Transit.
In almost all of the fare options, the price of the adult 30-day pass would remain the same with only option four seeing an increase in 2025. Across all four options, the single trip fare, day pass and concession 30-day pass would see increases.
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Currently, a single trip is $2.50, with a day pass costing $5. Options 1 and 2 would see single-trip fares increase to $2.55 in 2024 and $2.75 in 2025, with day passes increasing to $5.10 and $5.50 respectively.
Options 3 and 4 would both have fares increase to $3 in 2025 with option 4 having a more gradual increase, of $2.55 in 2024, and option 3 seeing a rise to $2.70 in 2024. The day passes would increase to $6 in 2025 for each, and the day passes would cost $5.40 and $5.10 in 2024 respectively.
Option 4 is the only increase option which would see an increase to the adult 30-day pass, with the fare rising to $90 from the current $85.
The concession 30-day pass, which is offered to youth 18 and under and seniors 65 and older, currently costs $45. Options 1, 2 and 4 would see an increase to $47.50 in 2024, while option 3 would remain the same. In 2025, option 1 would increase to $50 while the other three would increase to $55.
Option 1 would result in a cumulative increase of 5,970 hours, option 2 by 7,447 hours, option 3 by 5,920 hours and option 4 by 11,276 hours.
In the current fiscal year, BC Transit ran 1,011,301 service hours, 883,960 for conventional transit and 127,341 for custom and handyDART service.
An online survey is live now, and will be available until Dec. 15. Additionally, there will be three in-person engagement sessions:
- Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at Saanich Commonwealth Place, 4636 Elk Lake Drive
- Nov. 15 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Greater Victoria Public Library Central Branch, 735 Broughton Street
- Nov. 16 from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at the Juan De Fuca Recreation Centre, 1767 Island Highway
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Laura Brougham
