Sic Transit Victoria?

By Sheila Martindale

When I came to Victoria I left my car, along with the rest of my previous life, behind. It soon became apparent to me that I was better off without it. Victoria is a wonderful place in which to be a pedestrian, and I am lucky enough to live within walking distance of almost everywhere I need or want to be. If time is short or the weather uncooperative, taxis are readily available and not too expensive - and the service is door-to-door. You can take a lot of cabs for what it costs to keep a car on the road, when you add up the gas, insurance, licencing and maintenance. On the occasions when I am offered a ride in someone's car, we seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time looking for a parking spot, then finding one several blocks from where we want to be, and end up walking quite a distance anyway.

The real trick, though, to getting about in this city, is knowing how to use the bus service, which is among the best I have come across during my sojourns in various provinces. In the summertime I found my way on foot to many places, some of them quite far away; but when September rolled around, with the prospect of much rain, I obtained a hot-off-the-press master schedule and set about the task of learning the routes. I discovered it is quite a science. For example, there are three buses which stop very close to my building, but you have to be aware of which numbers operate during the day, the evening, on Sundays and holidays. At first I spent fruitless time waiting, sometimes in the dark or cold, for a bus which was never going to arrive. And you have to know that the same number might have more than one destination, so reading the wording as well as the numbers is important. Also, knowing which buses connect and where is key to successful journeys. There is, as I found out, a difference between a stop at Douglas and Fort and one at Fort and Douglas. It is also crucial to understand that a bus might take an entirely different road on the homeward journey from the outbound one. So, having a city map along as well as a Rider's Guide is useful. Each time I take a new route I make a note of which bus I took and where it took me, thus creating my own easy-to-read timetable. It gives me great satisfaction to add another experience to what I call "my adventures in transportation."

One thing which could be better in the transit system is obtaining information by phone. One is instructed to press one, two, or three etc, and sometimes, having gone through all the hallways of voicemail, one is booted out without actually having received the information sought. Finally I discovered that you could cut the process short, and actually speak to a person, by pressing Zero. Brilliant! Along with most other businesses or services these days, BC/Victoria Transit prefers you to use the Internet to find your way around, but unlike the Vancouver system, this method does not give you the number and location of bus numbers and transfers needed to arrive at your destination, and to get there on time. But perhaps with more practice I may solve this problem too.

Probably the best feature, from my point of view, of Victoria's buses, is the fact that they are geared for seniors and those with mobility challenges. Using your cane? No problem, the driver waits until you reach the courtesy seats at the front before putting the vehicle in motion. Got your walker instead? Just flip up one of the front seats to make room for it. Wheelchair bound? Down comes a ramp, and once you are aboard, the driver will anchor the chair for you. And these drivers are unfailingly polite - they don't rush you or make you feel helpless, and they are not above asking a younger person (usually one plugged in and wired for sound) to vacate a seat in order for an older rider to sit down. And of course, there is the Handy Dart service, which many mobility-challenged folks use, and this is great if you are able to book ahead and don't mind if the bus comes for you a little too early or late.

Bus stops and buses can also provide an opportunity for socializing. Unlike people in many cities, most Victorians are not rushing to get to a job or a business appointment, and will take the time to chat. They don't immediately put up the barrier of a newspaper, or stare stonily ahead, but will share a minute for a pleasant word. Much of what I have learned about my adopted place of residence I found out on public transportation. 

Cost is another plus here. Even though I don't qualify for the wonderful annual transit subsidy, I can get to many places, including the airport or the ferry, for the same price of $1.40 as I would pay to travel just a few blocks. And speaking of ferries, compare the cost of being a foot passenger to that of taking a car on board. To say nothing of the fact that seniors travel on the ferries for free from Monday to Thursday. Who said there are no advantages to getting older?

Perhaps best of all, though, is the knowledge that bus travellers are not adding to the greenhouse gas problem, but that by taking public transit we become part of the Green Solution. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!