Getting Around Victoria: BC Transit and the Harbour Ferry

Who runs the network, and what it covers

The Victoria Regional Transit System is operated by BC Transit. The network includes service inside the municipality as well as connections to neighbouring municipalities, and BC Transit’s published list of key destinations includes universities and colleges, Swartz Bay Terminal, the airport and both major hospitals.

Because the system is regional, a trip can cross several municipal boundaries without changing operator. BC Transit is the authority for fares, maps and schedules, and a question or complaint about a route belongs with BC Transit rather than with a municipal hall.

The fare system and how you pay

BC Transit’s digital fare payment option is Umo, which works with either the Umo app or a reloadable Umo card. Cards are free from a BC Transit vendor, and you can buy fare products or load a Umo cash balance before you board using the app, in person at a vendor, or online.

When you board, you tap the card or scan the QR code in the app on the reader next to the driver. A green check mark means your fare is accepted, an amber check mark means it was accepted but your balance is running low or your pass is expiring, and a red X means it was not accepted. You do not tap again when you leave the bus.

Paying from a cash balance behaves like a pass without your having to buy one. If you use a cash balance, a digital DayPASS is applied automatically after your second payment of the day, and you can keep tapping for the rest of the day without paying again.

• Fare categories are Adult (19 to 64), Senior (65 and over), Youth (13 to 18), Children 12 and under, Post-Secondary, and handyDART.
• Children aged 12 and under ride free on BC Transit in Victoria.
• Fare products include single rides, a DayPASS, a 30-day adult pass, a concession 30-day pass for youth and seniors, 10-ticket sheets, and post-secondary passes arranged through your school.
• Fare programmes include ProPASS for employers, U-PASS and Youth U-PASS for students, EcoPASS for new developments, and the BC Bus Pass for eligible seniors and people receiving disability assistance.

Fare rules, and why proof of payment matters

Fares, products and where to buy them are all published on the BC Transit Victoria fares pages, including which products are only available in person from a vendor. Some products vary by school or employer, so the published page is the only reliable source.

BC Transit treats fare evasion as a defined list of behaviours: boarding without paying or validating a pre-purchased fare product, using a fare product you are not eligible for, and sharing fare products with others. Transit Supervisors may conduct fare checks while you are riding. They are uniformed and may inspect fares visually or use a handheld device to confirm proof of payment.

If a rider is found without a valid fare or using an ineligible product, BC Transit’s published response is information about fare payment options and concession eligibility, and in some cases removal of misused fare products without refund, suspension of fare accounts, or restrictions on travel privileges.

Accessibility: handyDART and the fixed-route fleet

BC Transit runs two kinds of accessible transit service in Victoria. handyDART is a shared, door-to-door service for people with permanent or temporary disabilities that prevent them from using fixed-route transit without assistance. Drivers pick you up at an agreed location and drop you off at the closest accessible point to your destination, in many cases right at the door, and help you on and off as needed. You must register before booking a trip, and registration is free.

Fixed-route transit is the conventional bus network. Low-floor buses can kneel to lower the entry level and have a loading ramp, and smaller buses are lift-equipped so that wheelchairs and most types of scooter can be loaded at the rear. All fixed-route buses have securements for wheelchairs and scooters.

If you use a wheelchair, a scooter, or have a CNIB pass, you may travel with an attendant. Attendants ride free and must board and exit at the same stop as you, and they can help with your mobility aid while the driver ensures everything is secured.

• Wheelchair and scooter users may board and exit only at accessible stops, which are marked with a white and blue decal showing the International Symbol of Access.
• If a bus stop is obstructed, move to the next accessible stop for loading. The driver may need to drop you at an alternate location if a stop is deemed unsafe.
• Courtesy seating is at the front of the bus, and is intended for riders who need extra space, including riders using mobility aids, riders with a stroller, and attendants.
• BC Transit publishes an accessibility plan and takes feedback on it, and offers travel training and orientations for boarding with a wheelchair, walker or scooter.

The Victoria Harbour Ferry is not transit

Small passenger ferries cross Victoria’s inner harbour, and visitors routinely assume they are part of the bus system. They are not. The Victoria Harbour Ferry is a private operator, separate from BC Transit, with its own fares and its own routes.

The operator’s own description covers a harbour ferry service connecting waterfront destinations around Victoria Harbour, along with harbour tours and a Gorge Waterway route, and it states that the company has been running harbour services since 1990.

Planning a trip

BC Transit publishes schedules and maps for the Victoria system, along with a next-scheduled-bus tool and service alerts. Construction, events and weather all cause routine detours in the capital region.

• Check alerts for the day you travel rather than relying on a remembered schedule.
• Allow a buffer at exchange points, because frequencies drop outside peak hours.
• Check the last trips of the day if you are travelling in the evening, because late service is thinner outside the core.
• For handyDART, registration comes before booking, so start that process before you need to travel.