Nearly 10,000 hours of transit service expansion is coming to the Regional District of Nanaimo's network, mainly through route frequency changes in Nanaimo and Lantzville, as well as inter-city service between Nanaimo and Oceanside. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

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Nanaimo transit system expanding with better links to Comox Valley, Duncan & Victoria

Apr 1, 2024 | 12:19 PM

NANAIMO — Thousands of new hours of transit service are coming to the Regional District’s network, improving connections both internally and with other Island communities.

BC Transit announced Thursday, March 25 the addition of 9,900 annual service hours at the request of local transit officials, to be added over the next few years.

Included in the enhanced levels of service is 500 hours for Sunday and Monday service on the 99-Deep Bay route, with a connection to a Comox Valley bus at the Deep Bay Marina.

“This is very exciting news as riders will now be able to travel from Campbell River all the way to Victoria and visa versa,” Darren Marshall, senior manager of transportation services with the RDN, said.

The move also provides seven-day-per-week transit service for nearby residents, as the bus had previously only run from Tuesday to Saturday.

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More work is needed to provide a comfortable transfer from the Nanaimo system into the Comox Valley.

“We are looking at upgrading the Deep Bay exchange point with shelter,” Marshall added. “There are some challenges there and we’re working with MOTI, Comox Valley Regional District to try and expedite it, however, there are some challenges in the property layout and we just have to work through that process.”

A further 500 annual hours were added to expand the Nanaimo-Cowichan Express (NCX) on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The new hours, 8,900 annually, are earmarked to help the RDN meet several key strategies including bolstering route 50 between Woodgrove Centre and downtown, which will eventually turn into a “rapid line” running north-south through Nanaimo.

Other key improvements included in the lion’s share of hours were frequency improvements for the current route 91-Intercity, as well as additional service along the existing route 11-Lantzville with buses to run hourly during peak times on weekdays and Saturday afternoons.

Six expansion vehicles will be required to meet the newly funded service level.

One area remaining unchanged for now is the RDN’s HandyDART service.

A request for 2,000 annual service hours and three expansion vehicles to expand weekend coverage and introduce a holiday schedule was denied.

“We have weekend service [and] we have early evening service, not very late, but other properties are much further behind than we are,” Marshall said. “In my opinion, they may have just evaluated that other locations had a demand for it this year.”

Marshall added the province has made commitments in recent history to similar service, and he’s hopeful the expansion will happen, allowing the RDN to “close [the] gap in the coming years.”

Several committee members commented on how essential the HandyDART service is for an aging demographic.

“I’ll bet more than 75 per cent of the users of that service not only are not able to drive and get to places…but I bet the bulk of their transit use is to get back and forth from doctors appointments, hospital appointments,” Nanaimo coun. Janice Perrino said. “It’s a vital service.”

Transit Committee chair Stuart McLean, the RDN’s director for Area H, said they’re happy to see expansion throughout the network and some key wins for rural users.

It came at a time when BC Transit received over double their usual number of requests, with communities asking for roughly 140,000 hours of extra service, with the organization typically seeing 60,000 any given year.

“Certainly some hours are better than none and I’m happy to see the connection with the Comox Valley. It does connect Campbell River to Victoria, but it most importantly connects our northern communities to the ferries in Nanaimo which has been their biggest ask for many years.”

Service to Duke Point remains a priority for future expansion and is included in year three of a five-year plan developed in 2022.

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