NANAIMO – The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and BC Transit
are pleased to announce a total of nearly 9,000 annual service hours are being
added to the conventional and handyDART systems this year.
Effective March 3, 2013, the RDN will expand conventional service by 5,000
annual hours. With the added service hours comes a new, Route #25 BC Ferries,
with weekday service from the Departure Bay Terminal and the Country Club Centre
to downtown Nanaimo. The new route will allow for flexible arrival and departure
times to accommodate ferry delays. The new route is modeled after the RDN’s
2008 Transit Business Plan recommendation for a downtown-Departure Bay-Country
Club shuttle.
The added service hours will also result in better transit coverage for Parksville
and Qualicum. Route #89 will merge with Route #90
to increase the frequency of transit runs. Route #90 Intercity Connector
will have hourly service between Parksville and Nanaimo with 15 added weekday
trips. Route #88 Parksville will see six additional daily trips
Monday through Saturday, and the route will service Parksville’s Oceanside
Health Centre when it opens this summer.
Students and faculty at Vancouver Island University will benefit from six extra
weekday trips on Route #15 VIU Connector. There will also be 10
trips a day covering the entire length of Jinglepot Road. Passengers on Route
#4 VI University will enjoy three added trips on weekdays.
Plus the Route #7 Cinnabar/Cedar will have one additional trip
daily.
handyDART service will expand by 3,750 annual hours in 2013/14. The additional
service hours will ensure an extra handyDART vehicle will be in service in Parksville
and Qualicum four days week while the remaining hours will be allocated to general
coverage to take some of the pressure off of the wait list for the popular service.
“The big boost in handyDART, 3,750 hours for Parksville and Qualicum will
answer the concerns about how to get to and from the new Oceanside Health Centre
when it opens this spring,” said Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon.
“The new route to the Departure Bay ferry terminal will make it easier
to walk on the ferry and connect with transit in Horseshoe Bay. Better connections
to VIU will ease the parking problems there. Intercity commuting will be made
more feasible and affordable. Good collaborative work by the RDN Transit Committee
and BC Transit.”
“The RDN Board of Directors is committed to structuring regional transportation
planning and design with a focus on mass transit, cycling and walking over use
of the automobile,” said Regional District of Nanaimo Chairperson Joe Stanhope.
“This significant service expansion will continue the RDN’s work toward
making it much easier for residents throughout the Region to choose transit,
or a combination of transit and cycling or walking, as their main mode of transportation.”
“BC Transit is responding to the needs of the Regional District of Nanaimo
and our customers who want more service hours,” said BC Transit President
and CEO Manuel Achadinha. “The new, expanded schedule will increase frequency
for our customers and will better help connect people and communities.”
In September 2012, the B.C. government released its response to the Independent
BC Transit Review. This response called for action from all parties, to strengthen
the partnership between BC Transit and local governments. BC Transit is committed
to greater consultation and collaboration with its local government partners.
These additional service hours are a good example of how this improved partnership
is working.
For more information; ask your transit driver for a rider’s guide, consult
www.bctransit.com/regions/nan
or call 250.390.4531. Parksville and Qualicum customers can call 250.954.1001
for transit information.
Media contacts:
Meribeth Burton
Corporate Spokesperson | BC Transit
250.995.5720
meribeth_burton@bctransit.com
Daniel Pearce
Manager, Transit Operations
Regional District of Nanaimo
250-390-6501
dpearce@rdn.bc.ca
