Bus trips will be free until the end of April as B.C. Transit continues efforts to make social-distancing easier for drivers and passengers.
Passengers will also continue to board through the back doors. The measures are part of B.C. efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“We will re-evaluate as we go through the month and see where things are at,” said spokesman Jonathon Dyck. “It’s something that we found has been a positive step.”
The number of passengers on buses has been limited, as well, to ensure people can distance appropriately. A maximum of 20 people are allowed on a regular bus and 40 on a double-decker, although the driver has discretion.
“When we implemented that, 88 per cent of our trips had 10 or fewer passengers on them,” Dyck said.
Ridership on buses is down 70 per cent compared with last year, he said, and B.C. Transit has had fewer buses on the road as a result. The cancellation of classes at the University of Victoria and Camosun College has contributed to the drop in ridership.
A new step being brought in for community buses and handyDART buses, which don’t have rear-door loading, is the installation of sturdy plastic film to provide a barrier around the driver’s areas.
“The vinyl panel, as we’re calling it, is a way to separate the driver from customers, so the customer and the driver can get some physical-distancing space,” Dyck said.
He said efforts will continue to bring in such new concepts, as needed, and also look at options being used by other transit agencies.
B.C. Transit is like so many other agencies having to deal with COVID-19, Dyck said.
“It’s businesses, it’s government, it’s schools, it’s post-secondary schools,” he said. “We’ve all been going through this and so we’ve been working really hard to keep service on the road for those that need us.”
Dyck said it is important to adjust to the passenger levels.
“We’ve been working hard to look at ridership and available resources,” he said. “Things are still going to fluctuate day to day.”
Advice from the province and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will continue to be monitored closely, he said.
Details on obtaining refunds for monthly passes for March and April will be given out when the bus service returns to regular fare collection.
For information on scheduled buses, go to bctransit.com or call 250-382-6161.
