Mechanical issues with buses in B.C. Transit’s fleet continued to result in trip cancellations throughout Greater Victoria on Tuesday, affecting 19 routes as of 8 a.m.
The problem is leading to slightly less frequency on those routes rather than full route closures, B.C. Transit said.
Tuesday’s challenges follow a string of cancellations on Monday.
“Due to ongoing mechanical issues with some buses in our fleet, B.C. Transit is currently facing challenges meeting full scheduled service in the Victoria Regional Transit System,” a B.C. Transit official said.
“This is resulting in the need to sometimes cancel trips on short notice.”
About a dozen routes were affected on Monday morning and a similar number in the afternoon. Normal service resumed in the evening.
Buses ran on the affected routes but the wait times between buses would have been longer, the B.C. Transit spokesperson said.
A review of affected routes shows many cancellations for buses serving UVic, as well as cancellations for routes serving Tillicum, Hillside Centre, Langford, downtown, Royal Oak, Esquimalt and Victoria General.
Some buses are off the road for scheduled maintenance.
Others were sidelined for a range of reasons. No one type or age of bus or mechanical issue was affected, B.C. Transit said.
B.C. Transit has said it is bringing 10 new battery-electric buses into service this summer.
A diverse fleet of buses serves B.C. Transit. They use a variety of fuels and come from several manufacturers in different models.
B.C. Transit provides about 3,000 trips per weekday in the Victoria Regional Transit System.
Cancellations in Monday’s morning commute represented about one per cent of scheduled service, the B.C. Transit official said.
“That said, we recognize the impact any cancelled service has had on riders and do our best to notify customers immediately.”
For B.C. Transit alerts online, go to: https://www.bctransit.com/victoria/schedules-and-maps/alerts.
Riders can also use an app, such as Umo or Transit, and can sign up for route-specific alerts to be emailed to them.
