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Old Posted May 8, 2008, 9:23 PM
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Commuter bus coming to Malahat this fall

Commuter bus coming to Malahat this fall

Will take 60 minutes to Shawnigan, 80 minutes to Cowichan Valley
Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist

Published: Thursday, May 08, 2008


B.C. Transit will start a commuter bus service between downtown Victoria and the Cowichan Valley this fall, a move designed to ease congestion on the Malahat section of the Trans-Canada Highway and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

Eight buses, with high-backed chairs, reading lights and light-luggage racks, will be purchased with $4.3 million from the province.

In its first year, the service is expected to sell 70,000 rides.

"Commuters from the Cowichan Valley will soon have a comfortable, affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to driving into Victoria in their cars every day. They can take the bus and relax while helping to relieve congestion on the Malahat," said Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon.

B.C. Transit, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission and the Cowichan Valley Regional District have yet to work out details on who will pay for the running of the buses.

Operating costs for the eight buses are estimated at $775,000 a year, with the province committed to paying $362,000 annually based on a funding formula already in place with B.C. Transit.

Fares will offset some of those costs, but it's likely Greater Victoria and Cowichan Valley taxpayers will have to foot some of the bill.

That raised the ire of the Opposition yesterday, which argued the plan doesn't include the necessary operating costs, or factor in the costs of building park-and-ride facilities.

"Population is expanding in the region and a transit plan must include a realistic look at commuter rail on the E&N corridor," said Malahat-Juan de Fuca MLA John Horgan. "A bus solution without full operating costs won't help solve the issues commuters face today."

Falcon suggested it's unrealistic not to expect taxpayers to pay for new services.

"Yes, local people are going to pay for a new service that's coming into place, of course they are," he said. "If we want to expand transit options for people, we've got to make sure those options are there, and all of us will contribute towards it.

"We all pay and we all get the benefit, and the environmental benefit is significant," Falcon said.

A rail service requires more study while a bus service can be put in place quickly, said B.C. Transit CEO Manuel Achadinha.

"People are looking for solutions now, and by offering this service it's something we can provide in the immediate term," he said. "There's a demand out there, and it's really about how nimble we are at Transit to be able to adapt and meet those demands."

B.C. Transit vice-president Ron Drolet said work will now begin on details of the project, establishing the routes, stops, fares and required infrastructure.

"To make this work you have the service integrated, determining where local buses and commuter link transfers occur, and over time develop park-and-ride, and do the tariff," he said.

Drolet estimated fares could be between $5 and $10 one way, noting a three-zone fare in Vancouver (Maple Ridge to downtown for example) is $5.

"Maybe it's something in that $5 range, maybe a little more or less," he said.

What is known at this point is the service will run from Duncan to Victoria on a route that will take about 80 minutes, and run a one-hour route from Shawnigan Lake to Victoria each weekday morning, with the reverse trip in the evening.

Both routes will have three round trips each day.

The provincial funds are part of the $14-billion provincial transit plan announced this year, which aims to double transit ridership provincewide and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars by 4.7 million tonnes by 2020.

The service over the Malahat was a recommendation of the Malahat Corridor Study released last June. The study researched options for increasing safety and reliability along the highway and recommended a commuter bus service on the Malahat as a way of decreasing congestion.

http://www.canada.com/ch/cheknews/ne...4-98509227a4bd
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