Two new bus routes designed to serve University of Victoria students living in Gordon Head are a hit but giving rise to headaches.

With a bumper crop of first-year student -- and with everyone studying at UVic students now required to purchase bus passes -- the new 12 and 13 routes that starting feeding the campus from Gordon Head in September are frequently full, leaving drivers with no choice but to barrel past crowds waiting curbside.

"The first day I went out there and there was eight of us, and the bus drove right by," said Shelley Booth. The Gordon Head resident works on campus and her son attends classes there.

While Booth says the new routes are a very welcome addition, B.C. Transit's failure to anticipate the demand, plus infrequent service, adds up to a major inconvenience.

"I was an hour late for work because I had to go back home. And at least I've got a vehicle to go get, but the students standing at the bus stop don't necessarily have that option," she said.

"And for students, some of the profs won't let you into the classroom if you're an hour late."

B.C Transit spokesperson Joanna Morton acknowledged that the new routes have been overflowing all month. The problem isn't unusual for UVic routes in September, as staff and students adjust to new schedule, she said.

Transit planners expect the problem will largely take care of itself. "Really it's all a matter of leveling out. This is what September is all about," she said.

"If it becomes a chronic issue, that's something we pay attention to. But we also have to bear in mind that we have a finite amount of funding available every fiscal year."

At its September meeting, the Victoria Transit Commission voted to use some of an additional 19,000 service hours available to add buses to other UVic routes and create a new express bus from downtown to the campus, Morton said.

"So we really feel that by adding this express route we'll be able to alleviate some of the pressure on our existing routes."

Booth, who has gone back to cycling to work for now, says she hopes to see more buses put onto the new routes before winter rains force her to look at driving to work again.

"This is close to the university and the young people who live in this area. There's a large number of them and, of course, they're going to want to ride that bus," she said.

"This shouldn't be a surprise to them, but I guess it is."

kvass@vicnews.com