Jump to content

Victoria Regional Transit System


Recommended Posts

So I was told by a bus driver than at least some XN40s probably enter service tomorrow, so that's cool. He only said natural gas buses come in on the 18th, so it might just be one. We also talked about how car drivers are trash, and how transfers aren't well planned which works fine with frequent routes but not the hourly local ones.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

17 hours ago, SomeIslandKid said:

So I was told by a bus driver than at least some XN40s probably enter service tomorrow, so that's cool. He only said natural gas buses come in on the 18th, so it might just be one. We also talked about how car drivers are trash, and how transfers aren't well planned which works fine with frequent routes but not the hourly local ones.

1154-1157 made it out this morning.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Dane said:

The provincial budget was tabled today and confirms the funding for ten battery buses in Victoria. 

Technically the budget doesn't get passed for a bit - but this is effectively confirmation. 

Probably means the buses will be ordered this year, delivered sometime in 2021... 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Dane said:

I notice the 3 older Nova's got redecaled for Victoria; the other visiting Novas did not - so I assume the three L drives are sticking around?

I'm not sure... I've only heard that the L Drives are here temporarily until the CNG's all show up and enter service (so far only 5 have entered service). 

The L Drives DO NOT have NextRide or even AVA's so they're probably temporary transfers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True, but given they've been here for ten days or so the lack of NextBus regardless of circumstances is fair. Just find it interesting that they did take the time to change decals. The other temporary units aren't changed and have obviously been here for months rather than days. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I confronted the 60 driver who keeps leaving early about him leaving early, and he just brushed off my concerns saying a minute doesn't matter. Never mind it was closer to 3. Said it's not his problem if another bus is late. Who cares if it's right behind you at Jacklin/Dunford. I did not thank him when getting off. I have sent in another complaint. Confrontation kinda gave me a bit of an anxiety attack which didn't make for a fun ride, but also I'm pretty angry since it's likely the same driver who's left me stranded multiple times since the local buses already pretty bad to rely on, without the unreliability of an early bus. He has the honour of being the only driver I've ever actively disliked, and shouldn't be driving the last bus of such an infrequent route. Pretty sure the last 54 leads into the last 60 meaning he's very likely the same driver who left multiple people stranded from my last little rant.

I should move. Or get a car. Either way time for student debt wwweeeeeeee

 

Oh also new transit commission meeting minutes are up. Looks like the 60 has lost some ridership since last time, I wonder why? Hmmmmmm. Also the planned 5500 annual hour service expansion for Westshore routes got punted to January 2021, but the 47 and 48 get an extra 2 trips a day starting April. Not sure if that's supposed to be an extra morning and 1 extra evening, or 2 morning, and 2 evening. Either way it's soon and that's something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Passed by the Cullen Diesel in Port Kells yesterday and saw a large assortment of your new XN40s... not sure who they're for. There were around ten of them, sporting a regular BC Transit livery with the back wrapped in bright green with "CNG Bus" lettering on it. I'm quite sure that two of them were #1148 and #1167.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Dane said:

True, but given they've been here for ten days or so the lack of NextBus regardless of circumstances is fair. Just find it interesting that they did take the time to change decals. The other temporary units aren't changed and have obviously been here for months rather than days. 

I take it partially back. 6002, a loaner, doesn't have Victoria decals, but has had the Kelowna ones removed sometime in the last week. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Dane said:

True, but given they've been here for ten days or so the lack of NextBus regardless of circumstances is fair. Just find it interesting that they did take the time to change decals. The other temporary units aren't changed and have obviously been here for months rather than days. 

I'm sure they have tons of decals sitting somewhere so they just peel the old number off and put the new one on? Then again, the ones from Chilliwack still have Chilliwack's phone number on. 

9 hours ago, FlyingPig said:

Passed by the Cullen Diesel in Port Kells yesterday and saw a large assortment of your new XN40s... not sure who they're for. There were around ten of them, sporting a regular BC Transit livery with the back wrapped in bright green with "CNG Bus" lettering on it. I'm quite sure that two of them were #1148 and #1167.

1167 may be for Victoria since we have 1152 and up. 1148 is likely for Whistler. 

19 hours ago, SomeIslandKid said:

I confronted the 60 driver who keeps leaving early about him leaving early, and he just brushed off my concerns saying a minute doesn't matter. Never mind it was closer to 3. Said it's not his problem if another bus is late. Who cares if it's right behind you at Jacklin/Dunford. I did not thank him when getting off. I have sent in another complaint. Confrontation kinda gave me a bit of an anxiety attack which didn't make for a fun ride, but also I'm pretty angry since it's likely the same driver who's left me stranded multiple times since the local buses already pretty bad to rely on, without the unreliability of an early bus. He has the honour of being the only driver I've ever actively disliked, and shouldn't be driving the last bus of such an infrequent route. Pretty sure the last 54 leads into the last 60 meaning he's very likely the same driver who left multiple people stranded from my last little rant.

I should move. Or get a car. Either way time for student debt wwweeeeeeee

 

Oh also new transit commission meeting minutes are up. Looks like the 60 has lost some ridership since last time, I wonder why? Hmmmmmm. Also the planned 5500 annual hour service expansion for Westshore routes got punted to January 2021, but the 47 and 48 get an extra 2 trips a day starting April. Not sure if that's supposed to be an extra morning and 1 extra evening, or 2 morning, and 2 evening. Either way it's soon and that's something.

Odd, the Route 60 is usually a bigger bus (35-foot or 40-foot bus) while the 59/55 bus is always an Arboc (28-foot shuttle). I would think the paddle with a larger bus is busier? Route 47 and 48 can be busy, but the problem is they run too close to each other in the morning. 6:38 and 7:08 roughly.. would make sense to keep the 6:38 but move the next bus to 7:18 or 7:28? I mean, god forbid they can't just take one bus off the 50 and put it on the 48. The 50 is one of the WORST routes for "bus bunching" (where a bus catches up to the next one) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Matt Dunlop said:

Odd, the Route 60 is usually a bigger bus (35-foot or 40-foot bus) while the 59/55 bus is always an Arboc (28-foot shuttle). I would think the paddle with a larger bus is busier? Route 47 and 48 can be busy, but the problem is they run too close to each other in the morning. 6:38 and 7:08 roughly.. would make sense to keep the 6:38 but move the next bus to 7:18 or 7:28? I mean, god forbid they can't just take one bus off the 50 and put it on the 48. The 50 is one of the WORST routes for "bus bunching" (where a bus catches up to the next one) 

You might think, but the 59 had the higher average/trip for the fall. Not that bus choice for them even matters, 10 people at once is busy for them, except of course Royal Bay trips.  The 54 is the most overcrowded local coverage route with an average of over 20 boardings/trip. It should never have Arbocs, even the 30ft Vicinitys feel crammed on it, yet the 7:10pm 54 is regularly a community bus. Drivers have to let people illegally stand or force them to wait until 8:40pm for the next and last one. Happy Valley road really needs a service increase, but hopefully more 35ft buses will fix the chronic pass ups if nothing else. Past Transit Comisson documents mention a new Latoria and Happy route in a priority ranking. It was sorta in the low middle of the laundry list of necessary expansions.

Also I never realized the 47 was only 30 minutes offset. The 48 leaves the Langford exchange at 6:20am and 7:09am. Although I can see why they don't pull a 50 for another 48. By the time the 48 reaches Sooke road it might have filled up all the seats, but still has ample standing room, as of the beginning of the fall. It might have changed recently, but the 50 likely needs the capacity more. However the 47/48 would definitely attract higher ridership if they ran more. A major flaw is that the last return trip for both leaves downtown around 4:40pm. I hope if it's only one extra trip in April it's going to be after 5pm. I admit I don't know what the local office culture is, but I imagine less people get off work before 4pm than around 5pm. It's a shame they don't both run all day though, the 48 at least is fantastic and would solve so many of my issues only needing a single transfer instead of 2 to get home. The 47 has a couple of loops in it so that looks less fantastic, but likely still far better than the 50 + local buses. The 48 copies non Lagoon 52s from Colwood until Veterans. There is a planned 2200 annual hour increase of service allocated for the 47/48 expansion.

Ps cool new profile picture

Here's a link to all the transit commission meetings for anyone who never stumbled upon it. Open a specific one to find its documents. I'd link specifically to the Febuary 25th one, but the BC Transit set up their website means it'd break with the new year. And they have one of the better government websites :L

Hidden in the operations staff report was this little timbit of a line "106 Lack of Service complaints vs 24 same period last year " Every other category of complaint has decreased. I'm not sure if this is for HandyDART or fixed routes, but neither would surprise me after a mess of a winter.

The Planning update includes ridership data. Surprise surprise the 43 has 12 riders a day, which is unsurprising given it's a loop through Belmont Park and Royal Roads. Also seems to always be run as a full 40ft bus, at the height of rush hour, likely spending more time than the full loop on Sooke road congestion during the morning. The 13 meanwhile has a total of 11 riders. What odd little routes they are.

Also now that I'm calm, and reading properly again, I found out why the Westshore local route improvements are delayed

Quote

"A 2020/21 annual service plan was recently adopted by the Victoria Regional Transit Commission at the November 5, 2019 meeting. The delivery of eight high capacity buses required for the planned Fall 2020 expansion has been delayed by the manufacturer. As the previously approved annual service plan proposed an eight double-decker expansion for September 2020, a new annual service plan is required that will phase the expansion between September 2020 and January 2021. This report provides a revised expansion schedule and proposed service improvements."  

Also guess that new double deckers are sadly a little longer away now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, SomeIslandKid said:

You might think, but the 59 had the higher average/trip for the fall. Not that bus choice for them even matters, 10 people at once is busy for them, except of course Royal Bay trips.  The 54 is the most overcrowded local coverage route with an average of over 20 boardings/trip. It should never have Arbocs, even the 30ft Vicinitys feel crammed on it, yet the 7:10pm 54 is regularly a community bus. Drivers have to let people illegally stand or force them to wait until 8:40pm for the next and last one. Happy Valley road really needs a service increase, but hopefully more 35ft buses will fix the chronic pass ups if nothing else. Past Transit Comisson documents mention a new Latoria and Happy route in a priority ranking. It was sorta in the low middle of the laundry list of necessary expansions.

Also I never realized the 47 was only 30 minutes offset. The 48 leaves the Langford exchange at 6:20am and 7:09am. Although I can see why they don't pull a 50 for another 48. By the time the 48 reaches Sooke road it might have filled up all the seats, but still has ample standing room, as of the beginning of the fall. It might have changed recently, but the 50 likely needs the capacity more. However the 47/48 would definitely attract higher ridership if they ran more. A major flaw is that the last return trip for both leaves downtown around 4:40pm. I hope if it's only one extra trip in April it's going to be after 5pm. I admit I don't know what the local office culture is, but I imagine less people get off work before 4pm than around 5pm. It's a shame they don't both run all day though, the 48 at least is fantastic and would solve so many of my issues only needing a single transfer instead of 2 to get home. The 47 has a couple of loops in it so that looks less fantastic, but likely still far better than the 50 + local buses. The 48 copies non Lagoon 52s from Colwood until Veterans. There is a planned 2200 annual hour increase of service allocated for the 47/48 expansion.

Ps cool new profile picture

Here's a link to all the transit commission meetings for anyone who never stumbled upon it. Open a specific one to find its documents. I'd link specifically to the Febuary 25th one, but the BC Transit set up their website means it'd break with the new year. And they have one of the better government websites :L

Hidden in the operations staff report was this little timbit of a line "106 Lack of Service complaints vs 24 same period last year " Every other category of complaint has decreased. I'm not sure if this is for HandyDART or fixed routes, but neither would surprise me after a mess of a winter.

The Planning update includes ridership data. Surprise surprise the 43 has 12 riders a day, which is unsurprising given it's a loop through Belmont Park and Royal Roads. Also seems to always be run as a full 40ft bus, at the height of rush hour, likely spending more time than the full loop on Sooke road congestion during the morning. The 13 meanwhile has a total of 11 riders. What odd little routes they are.

Also now that I'm calm, and reading properly again, I found out why the Westshore local route improvements are delayed

Also guess that new double deckers are sadly a little longer away now.

You are correct, any of the Royal Bay or Belmont school trips are the busiest the shuttles will ever get. I think the busiest I've seen is the Route 58 leaving Langford Ex at 8:38am. I have caught that bus on the rare occasion, it is a FULL standing load to the doors, no matter what bus it is (Vicinity or Dart). 

Yes, the 48 picks up any remaining people that miss the 61 or the 61 passes up. I haven't really taken the 47/48 from Downtown but you are right, they leave around 4 and 4:40pm. The majority of the drivers don't even know what the Route 48 is...

The Route 43 is usually interlined with the 52 and/or the 39, except for the afternoon, where it's interlined with the 54 from Colwood. Belmont Park used to have great service since the 39 used to service it so they would get hourly service, now it's only 4-5 trips a day if that? I can't say I've ever rode the Route 13 but I remember seeing it go by when I lived in Gordon Head area. Used to be a little Arboc and it said (13 UVIC). NOBODY would take it. It would leave Cedar Hill at Garnet, turn onto McKenzie, and then head straight to UVic. All the students would wait for the 16, 26, 39, instead of catching the 13 which goes into UVIC. Route 13 is now interlined with the 12, and the 12 is always a conventional bus. 

I heard from a driver that the new double deckers are on their way, but who really knows where they are. I've only heard that the new deckers will be for LTC only, as well as the CNG's. CNG's are supposed to be all in service by the end of March, supposedly again. 

I went to a transit commission meeting once, however they wouldn't let me say a word so it was a waste of my time...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Matt Dunlop said:

1161 and 1164 first day of service. 

Is there any way to search for a vehicle number on NextRide to figure out where they are? 

Edit: I just checked every single route on NextRide, and didn't see 1161 or 1164 in service. I'll check again later when I'm home from work since they are probably in layover. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, InfiNorth said:

Is there any way to search for a vehicle number on NextRide to figure out where they are? 

Edit: I just checked every single route on NextRide, and didn't see 1161 or 1164 in service. I'll check again later when I'm home from work since they are probably in layover. 

Unfortunately NO. Edmonton (and possibly Calgary) has a feature where you can see a large map of the city and see where every bus is, and whether they're late, early, or on time. BC Transit is far too behind for that technology. 

Also at the moment the CNG's are only on trippers 

1161 was on a Route 11, 1162 on Route 39, 1164 on Route 35

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...