University of Victoria students who rely on bus service will be able to stay downtown a little later tonight.
A three-month trial period starts today for late-night bus service to the Gordon Head campus, something student groups have been seeking for some time. The service will run until 1:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays on the No. 4, No. 6 and No. 14 routes. Previously, the last buses from downtown left about 12:30 a.m.
"It's not just for coming home after the bars," said Veronica Harrison, chairwoman of the UVic Students' Society. "It's also after people get off a late-night shift at work and after people are studying on-campus during exam period."
Harrison said the students' society will help by raising awareness and working to ensure students use the service responsibly. "It's huge for us. This is an option that students have just never even seen before."
Both Harrison and sa国际传媒 Transit's Joanna Morton said the extended service is geared to the wider community, too. Morton said Camosun College students can also benefit.
Harrison said the service provides a travel choice that is affordable, sustainable and safe. Most UVic and Camosun students have bus passes through participation in the Universal Bus Pass or U-Pass program.
"We're really encouraging people to get out there and use the service, especially students, because it's there for them and they already have their bus pass," Harrison said. "If there's a lot of people that ride it and there's not too many incidents, then hopefully it will continue to stay and it can even expand on other routes."
Harrison said she and other students' society officials will be riding on some of the first runs, noting the trial period is the culmination of a wider transit campaign with other sa国际传媒 locals of the Canadian Federation of Students. "One of our big pushes was late-night transit.
"We got many thousand signatures from students for support on that. We had a lot of meetings with Victoria Regional Transit Commission, did a lot of presentations and they were really receptive to us."
If the demand is there, Morton said sa国际传媒 Transit will look at keeping the service.
In other transit news, Sooke's expanded and upgraded park-and-ride facility was unveiled yesterday, featuring 99 new parking stalls, two new bus shelters and added bike racks and lockers. Sooke Mayor Janet Evans said the improved facility reflects growing demand for transit in the community.
