Every day, full buses are passing up students heading to and from school. Last fall, around 20,000 bus pass-ups were reported by BC Transit drivers, a number that’s likely lower than the actual total. These pass-ups mean students are late toŃor missingŃtheir classes.
The Camosun College Student Society is working with the UVic Students’ Society and the local bus drivers’ union to address this issue. Last year, we lobbied the Victoria Transit Commission (VTC) and 7,000 hours were added to the systemŃ5,000 of those hours are being used specifically to deal with student pass-ups this fall.
Despite this success, BC Transit estimates that 20,000 additional hours are needed each year to adequately address pass-ups affecting students in Greater Victoria. We continue to lobby the VTC to increase funding and implement measures to speed up buses (such as bus-only lanes during rush hour) and ensure that students and community members are being well served by public transit.
And we need your help. While student representatives and bus drivers constantly hear of students’ frustrations with inadequate bus service, few complaints are getting through to those with the power to make change. The easiest way that you can help us achieve further success is to start complaining. We encourage students to phone the BC Transit customer service line at 250-382-6161 every time you are passed by a full bus.
Students on Twitter can also tweet @BC_transit to report pass-ups.