More frequency on the Nanaimo Rapid Line, along with schedule adjustments to a number of routes, will come into effect in the new year. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

transit service

Service changes coming to Nanaimo transit routes, including Rapid Line

Dec 19, 2025 | 5:37 AM

NANAIMO — More service and better connections are promised in the new year for local transit users.

BC Transit, in partnership with the Regional District of Nanaimo, will implement changes to schedules beginning Jan. 4, 2026 to expand not only hours of service on some routes, but also the frequency of available buses on others.

Seth Wright, senior manager of government relations with BC Transit, said the linchpin of the changes is frequency adjustments to the rapid line Route 1, which began operating in its current form at the start of the year.

“We’re bringing up frequency from basically half an hour throughout the day to every 20 minutes, so there will be a bus every 20 minutes and this carries a huge portion of the ridership across Nanaimo from Woodgrove mall to the downtown exchange.”

Wright said the current route 1 is a key route and the spine of the local transit network.

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“It doesn’t carry as much ridership as the 40 does with runs to VIU…but the route 1 is the spine of the Nanaimo network and provides that key transportation and a lot of routes feed into it. When it’s frequent, it can provide good connections without those connections having to be timed.”

With more frequency on the rapid line, schedule adjustments are coming for a number of routes including 7-Cinnabar, 25-Ferry Shuttle, 30-NRGH and 40-VIU Express.

The tweaks to schedule are designed to improve connections for all transit users connecting between routes.

“These are key connections from school trips to ferry connections, Nanaimo is a hub city and so those connections on those routes are important and we wanted to …ensure that there were good connections so people could commute to work in a timely manner without having to wait in the cold and rain for too long.

handyDART hours are also increasing through the City of Nanaimo, as two new vehicles are being added to the Nanaimo-based fleet.

Service hours will expand on Saturdays to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., while Sunday service will operate between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Holiday service will cover 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An increase in funding from the province, as well as the Regional District has made the expansion of service possible.

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