For a second day in a row, public transit-goers in Greater Victoria will have to find an alternate mode of transportation due to snow and freezing conditions.
On Wednesday morning, BC Transit issued a statement saying they’re still dealing with unsafe driving conditions, meaning service remains suspended until further notice.
“We are deploying some buses this morning as trials to test the road conditions. These buses will be deployed on a couple routes downtown and some that use the major thoroughfares,” said Tessa Humphries, BC Transit’s communications manager.
“This is not a decision that we take lightly as we know our customers rely on us to get to their destinations,” said Humphries.
“Safety is our top priority and we appreciate your patience during this time.”
Update as of 9:10 a.m.:
After evaluating the road conditions based on the trials this morning, BC Transit said they are resuming limited service on the following routes:
- 2 James Bay/South Oak Bay – Not servicing Central/St. Patrick Terminus – routing via Oak Bay Marina
- 4 Uvic/Downtown – Not servicing Blanshard/Fairfield Terminus – routing via Government & Superior
- 15 Esquimalt/Uvic – Regular Route
- 50 Langford/Downtown – Regular Route
- 61 Sooke/Langford/Downtown – Regular route
- 70 Swartz Bay/Downtown Regular Route
(1/3)⚠️❄️ #YYJ #RiderAlert – due to unsafe road conditions, service continues to be suspended at this time. We truly apologize for the inconvenience & appreciate your patience.
— BC Transit – Victoria (@victoriatransit) December 21, 2022
On Tuesday, BC Transit said they dispatched about 10 buses in the early afternoon to test the road conditions but, due to conditions, made the decision to suspend service for the remainder of the day.
The ongoing cancellations come after the region saw nearly 30 cm of snow fall yesterday, followed by freezing conditions.
Environment Canada issued an arctic air warning Tuesday night stating temperatures in Victoria could drop to near -20°C with the wind chill.
BC Transit says the HandyDART service, similar to Tuesday, will offer essential service only for medical appointments.
(1/2) ⚠️❄️ #YYJ #RiderAlert – #handyDART is running essential service only for medical appointments today (Dec 21) due to road conditions, no fares are being collected. Drivers are working hard to help riders get out of their driveways, & have shovels to get as close as they can.
— BC Transit – Victoria (@victoriatransit) December 21, 2022
Similar to Tuesday, BC Transit will be deploy buses on a couple routes downtown and some that use the major thoroughfares to test operating conditions.
The Cowichan Valley Regional Transit System service is back with drivers operating on adverse weather routing, which is found on BC Transit’s website and listed in the Riders’ Guide.
For the most up-to-date information, BC Transit encourages customers to visit its website, NextRide or the Transit app.
