06/09/2026
Better Transit YYJ pits grandmothers on bikes against Victoria’s rapid bus
An organization that argues Victoria Transit buses are slow and getting slower looks to prove a point, pitting a team of grannies on bikes against the local rapid bus.
The Route 95 Blink RapidBus, launched in 2023, aims to provide a faster, more reliable connection between Langford and downtown Victoria through more frequent service, bus lanes and fewer stops.
“The goal is to show how transit can and should be better,” Better Transit YYJ chair Sam Holland said. “More than 11,000 people use the 95 every day in each direction, and the bus is stuck in traffic downtown and in Colwood. Boarding is slow, because BC Transit is years behind on allowing boarding through the back door.”
These sources of delay are what Holland and the other racers are counting on in their race on Friday (June 12). Two teams of racers will gather at the legislature bus exchange in Victoria at 4:30 p.m. A cycling team from Grandmothers for Africa will race the bus to Langford Station, and a team of foot racers will be racing to Victoria city hall, culminating in a rally for better transit, starting at 5 p.m.
Holland says the action is targeting the two councils and the BC Transit, as Colwood and Downtown Douglas Street are two of the few places left without dedicated transit lanes.
“We are really puzzled as to why Colwood is dragging their feet on building transit lanes on the Old Island Highway,” says Holland. “It’s a major source of delay, and the longer they wait, the more pressure there is to move the 95 out of Colwood. My message to Colwood council: get this done!”
Aside from back door boarding, Better Transit seeks a commitment to a 20 per cent increase in speed for buses along Douglas and for the City of Victoria to develop concrete plans to move Douglas to a corridor primarily designed for pedestrians and transit.
“This is one of the busiest transit corridors in North America, and a key shopping street,” Holland said. “Douglas needs to be a street for transit and for people. This is about the future of our downtown and our city as a whole. Are we a city of cars stuck in traffic, or a city where people can actually travel quickly and safely?”
Volunteers meet shortly after 4 p.m. at the legislature before heading to the bus stop on Friday. The cyclists are set to leave at 4:37 p.m.
