Regional District of Nanaimo has announced expanded transit service, including the creation of new routes to better access VIU and downtown. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

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Expanded transit service to better connect more regions with VIU, downtown Nanaimo

Jul 24, 2019 | 8:01 AM

NANAIMO — The Regional District of Nanaimo has rolled out its plan to expand transit service throughout central Vancouver Island.

Beginning in January 2020, the RDN will add 5,900 hours of transit service and another 1,700 in handyDART hours to address ridership growth.

Upgrades include a new route between the downtown core and the Nanaimo airport. The service will run Monday, Wednesday and Friday every two hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The service enhancements come weeks after the RDN committed to providing 365 days of service a year by running transit on three statutory holidays where there previously was none.

RDN Select Transit Committee chair Tyler Brown told NanaimoNewsNow this service upgrade is designed to meet the demand for regularly scheduled trips.

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“If you want to take transit and have it be an easy part of your life, you just want to go to the bus stop and get from point A to point B in a reasonable time frame.”

Transit service will also be adjusted on route 7 by removing Cedar from the schedule and linking Cinnabar directly to downtown.

“This is a step in the right direction by making it a more efficient and effective routing from Cinnabar/Chase River area to downtown and VIU,” Brown said.

To offset the change, a new route will travel between Cedar and Vancouver Island University.

“Rolling out some inefficiencies and making a couple of dedicated lines should make for a better connection from those areas to VIU and downtown,” Brown said.

Expanding the conventional service will cost roughly $470,000 and require two new buses to be leased from BC Transit. The additional handyDART hours will cost nearly $86,000 and the leasing of an additional vehicle.

Longer term aspects of the South Nanaimo Local Area Transit Plan feature service to the Duke Point ferry terminal and linking an inter-regional service with the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

— with files from Ian Holmes

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley