BC Transit and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission are advising customers of a service expansion, effective January 5, 2026.
Several changes are being made to improve customer experience across the Victoria Regional Transit System (VRTS).
Route 40 Dockyard/UVic via Admirals/McKenzie is a new route that will improve travel between Esquimalt, View Royal and Saanich.
New bus stops will be added on the Trans-Canada Highway at Carey Road and on Ravine Way at Vernon Avenue.
Several routes across the system are being adjusted to improve connections and reliability, including:
- Route 81 Brentwood/Saanichton/Sidney/Swatz Bay will end at the Saanichton Exchange and become Route 75 Saanichton/Royal Oak/Downtown.
- Route 87 Tsawout/Sidney via Dean Park combines route 82 and 87 and will double the number of trips to Tsawout First Nation.
- Route 88 Airport/Sidney via McDonald Park will have improved service to the Victoria International Airport and West Sidney. Regular trips that do not go to West Sidney will operate as Route 88A Airport/Sidney.
Other changes being made to the VRTS include:
- Route 39 will be split into two routes, Route 38 Westhills/Interurban/Royal Oak and Route 39 UVic/Royal Oak/Interurban. These routes will match up better with classes at Camosun and UVic.
- Route 51 becomes Route 51X Westhills/UVic McKenzie Express and is extended to Westhills and rerouted via Goldstream Ave.
- Route 65 will be rerouted through northeast Sooke and will better serve the Arranwood and Steeple Chase neighbourhoods, with added peak-hour trips along Church/Helgesen.
- Route 72 (to Swartz Bay) will be rerouted via Carey Road and Ravine Way to use the new transit-only lane and serve the new bus stop on Ravine Way at Vernon Avenue.
- Route 75 (to Saanichton) will be adjusted to travel via Highway 17 and Elk Lake Drive instead of West Saanich Road.
handyDART service will be expanded. This includes seven new buses and additional service hours to address peak demand. Service continues to run Monday – Sunday from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
For full details please check the latest Rider’s Guide.
This service expansion in the Victoria Regional Transit System has been made possible by an increase in local government and provincial funding. The operating grant provided in the 2025-26 provincial budget will allow BC Transit and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission to continue to provide safe and reliable service and demonstrates that public transit remains a priority in our communities.
As part of this change, school trips will resume on the following routes that serve post-secondary institutions:
- 8 Interurban/Tillicum Centre/Oak Bay *
- 12 University Heights/UVic
- 38 Westhills/Interurban/Royal Oak
- 39 UVic/Royal Oak/Camosun
- 51X Westhills/UVic via Mackenzie (Express)
- 52 Colwood Exch/Bear Mtn (RRU service only) **
* With minor service improvements in the afternoon peak period.
**Service improvements in the morning and afternoon peak periods to better serve K-12 schools
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, schedules and to sign up for customer alerts, please visit bctransit.com/victoria.
Media Contacts
BC Transit Communications
media@bctransit.com
