Video transcript
So public transit plays a critical role in the greater Victoria region. And in order to invest in public transit, we need more buses. And where we’re at right now is our two transit facilities in Victoria and Langford are currently nearing capacity. So if we want to make the transit system better in Victoria, we need another transit center in order to procure more buses and add more frequency in the region.
So as part of our Victoria Regional Transit Plan, we’ve done a ton of engagement across the region with the public, with riders, with key stakeholders and elected officials. And what we’re hearing is that transit is one of the top priorities with regards to investing, to make this region a variable livable community. In order to reach those goals of adding more service, we’re going to need additional space to park our buses.
We want to move people away from their personal automobiles onto the bus. And if we’re able to add more buses to our region, we’re able to increase service, which increases the attractiveness of using transit service.
So we launched our RapidBus a few years ago that connects the Westshore to the downtown, and we get over 10,000 boardings per day on that key corridor. And there’s a desire, to increase that RapidBus, not only the frequency between Westshore and downtown, but to potentially introduce new RapidBus service connecting some of those key activity centers.
Investing in a new transit centre is very important, because if we want to make the RapidBus better, we have to add more buses. If we want to add more buses, we need places where those buses can be parked and maintained.
Video transcript
Community involvement will be a cornerstone during all phases of this project, including during site development, planning, design, and eventually construction. The more we understand the interests of our neighbours, the more effectively we can design an engagement process that will meet those needs. And we’re really looking forward to doing that here in Saanich.
Regional infrastructure projects like the Saanich Transit Centre really create a great opportunity for BC Transit and the community to come together. The HandyDART facility that was introduced in View Royal early in 2025 is the most recent example of a modern day, regional transit facility here in the Capital Region. And that project really has lent a number of lessons and, opportunities for community engagement that really hadn’t been undertaken before. And so by working really closely with the municipality and the local community, the project was able to advance not only transit priorities, but also community priorities.
BC Transit is committed to the process of reconciliation, and we believe in trust based, meaningful engagement. When we invite our local First Nations partners to participate in this project with us, we are looking for their unique understanding, perspectives and knowledge of our local environment.
That way, we can design a facility that really meets the needs of this community now and into the future.
This is a regionally important project and all 13 municipalities will be aware, engaged and participating as we move through this process.
We are very appreciative that we’ve had the opportunity to work early with the district of Saanich, primarily to determine who we should engage with and how we should progress through the engagement process to best meet the needs of the community.