The City of Langford is hoping a new high-end bus service will make the dreaded "Colwood Crawl" a little more bearable for rush hour commuters.
The taxpayer-subsidized Langtoria Greenline will be launched sometime in October and will run between Langford and downtown Victoria, the city said Tuesday.
Langford Mayor Stew Young said the service came about in anticipation of a new interchange that’ll be built on the Trans-Canada Highway at McKenzie Avenue.
The stretch of highway regularly sees backups that can turn a 20-minute commute into an hour, but with construction on the horizon – and no commuter train service on the table – Young said traffic will only worsen.
“We thought the train would be running. It’s just not looking like that’s going to happen,” said Young. “So that puts the pressure on us as politicians…we’re trying to come up with a way to help facilitate getting our residents to Victoria in a timely fashion.”
The bus, run by Wilson Transportation, is expected to make two pick-ups in the morning in Langford and eventually drop commuters off in Victoria right where they work.
Perks include local coffee and newspapers served for free onboard, as well as Wi-Fi so riders can work.
“So you’ll be able to do your laptop, do some work while you’re going into town, read a paper and grab a coffee on the bus,” said Young. “A little bit higher-level service, but all donated, by the way.”
Young said residents will be able to sign up for the service online, and it’ll cost roughly $100 a month, or around $5 a day for those commuting to work five days a week.
“It’s a subscription service so we know who we’re picking up, where we’re picking them up, and where they’ve got to go,” he said.
The city will kickstart the Greenline with one bus that holds 50 passengers and add service as needed.
“It may work where we need five buses on there, and we’re prepared to do that,” said Young.
The first year of the service will be considered a trial, and because it is subsidized by Langford, Young said commuters from other municipalities will have to pay a little extra if they want to board.
