Students from the University of Victoria and Camosun College and off-duty B.C. Transit bus drivers collecting signatures Monday morning on a petition that aims to convince Victoria Regional Transit Commission members to find a solution to bus pass-ups on busy routes.
The activity took place at a stop on Hillside Avenue near Quadra Street, a stop the students say is notorious for having bus riders left behind due to full buses.
According to numbers supplied by the UVic Students Society, 16,000 riders were left at the curb across the region because buses were at capacity.
The Camosun College Student Society is calling on local governments to implement bus-only lanes and to lobby the province to allocate some carbon tax revenue to public transit, as well as increase the gas tax in Greater Victoria.
B.C. Transit did not comment directly on the petition drive. In late August, B.C. Transit announced it would be adding 5,000 annual service hours this year, including two extra buses added to its fleet that are diverted to busy routes during peak hours as needed.
As part of its plans, McKenzie Road-bound buses en route to the University of Victoria now travel directly to the Finnerty exchange instead of around Ring Road, creating an extra 69 trips per week to UVic.
