BC Transit and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission are advising customers of a seasonal service change, effective September 8, 2026.
The start of the fall semester means the return of full-service levels on routes that serve K – 12 and post-secondary schools across the region, including the return of school dedicated routes.
Route 17 Cedar Hill and Route 76 UVic/Swartz Bay will be reintroduced for the school season as well.
Service on Route 70 Swartz Bay/Downtown and Route 75 Saanichton/Royal Oak/Downtown will be seasonally reduced to reflect a decrease in demand.
As the construction on West Saanich Road continues, Route 85 North Saanich will still be detoured around the area. This detour includes the closure of six bus stops and is expected to remain in place until construction is completed later this fall.
Finally, this service change also introduces a new route that will be providing early morning and late-night service to the Victoria International Airport. As previously announced, Route 72A Swartz Bay/YYJ/Downtown will provide this service outside of scheduled Route 87 and Route 88 Airport/Sidney. Full details on this new service can be found here.
As families prepare for the upcoming school year, BC Transit encourages parents and students to visit BusReady to help young people travel with confidence. BusReady offers educational resources, safety information, and practical trip-planning tools that help make the journey to and from school safer, easier and more comfortable for students. BC Transit also reminds customers that children 12 and under ride the bus for free, province-wide.
We encourage our customers to use the Umo app, Google Transit or any other app of their choice for real-time bus tracking and planning your next transit journey.
For more information about trip planning, fares and schedules, please visit bctransit.com/victoria.
Media Contacts
BC Transit Communications