New rapid bus to connect West Shore with downtown Victoria next month

BC Transit is unveiling a new bus route that will connect the West Shore area with downtown Victoria.

The new "Blink RapidBus" line, called Route 95, will launch on April 10 and will replace the current Route 50 Langford/Downtown line, which is being discontinued.

Route 95 will travel along the same path as Route 50, but with fewer stops. The reduced number of stops will increase the time that riders get to travel uninterrupted, but customers should check to see if their closest Route 50 bus stop is still part of the new Blink RapidBus route.

A map of the new Route 95 line that includes which stops have been discontinued or changed can be found on the BC Transit website.

BC Transit says riders of the new Route 95 can expect buses to arrive every seven to eight minutes during "peak travel times," and at least every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

Overall, the new route will provide an extra 21 trips on weekdays compared to the existing Route 50, another 11 trips on Saturdays, and an additional 20 trips on Sundays.

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BC Transit adds that changes have been made to Route 61 Sooke as well.

"Route 61 will have significant all-day service improvements, however, during non-peak travel times, customers will be required to transfer to the Route 95 at the Langford Exchange if their destination is downtown Victoria," said BC Transit in a release Monday.

New orange signage will also be installed along the RapidBus route, similar to what has been installed in the downtown Victoria area.

(BC Transit)"The vision for Blink RapidBus is to deliver transit service that outperforms the personal automobile in speed, comfort and reliability," said BC Transit.

"The goal of RapidBus is to connect areas with the highest travel demands in the region using a combination of corridor treatments, branded services, and improved station amenities." 

(BC Transit)