Free shuttle bus begins downtown run
Ken Kelly, left, DVBA general manager; Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin; and Peter Kuhr, DVBA vice-chair, have a laugh while slapping a City of Victoria sticker on the rear of the new downtown shuttle bus.
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The clattering engine roared to a start and away rolled the bus.
A modest 20-or-so people lined up for the inaugural 15-minute journey of downtown Victoria's new free shuttle bus on Friday, which for now remains a 30-day pilot project initiated by the Downtown Victoria Business Association. The lease on the bus plus other operational costs brought the price-tag for the pilot to $20,000.
Making its launch from the Big Bus stand on Government Street, the bus is expected to be a tool for making downtown easier to navigate, both for tourists and residents.
The seasoned-looking bus trundles up Government Street and down Wharf Street, stopping near LoJo, Capital Iron and Bastion Square. There are four stops on the route.
"This helps people enjoy the fullness of downtown," said Ken Kelly, executive director of the DVBA. "Be they tourists, residents or employees, they get only a portion of downtown."
The bus runs 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day.
"We recognize downtown as the economic engine, the economic backbone of Victoria," Mayor Dean Fortin said before hopping aboard the shuttle. The City of Victoria collaborated with the DVBA to establish the shuttle stop locations.
Fortin said he'd like to see route and number of stops expanded for commuters' benefit after the pilot period.
ecardone@vicnews.com
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