Nineteen West Shore residents are regularly commuting to and from Victoria via the Langtoria Greenline, and the service’s contractor says they’re pleased with that figure for now.
“When I talk to media and the public alike, they think that we’re disappointed with (having) 19 riders. We’re not at all … we’re happy with the growth,” said John Wilson, president and CEO of Wilson’s Transportation, the company that’s partnered with the City of Langford on the service.
The Langtoria – which offers complimentary Wi-Fi and coffee in an effort to make its riders’ trip into work more enjoyable than the alternatives – made its maiden run in October with only a handful of riders, but has seen modest increases since that point.
With downtown parking costs increasing and its availability decreasing simultaneously, Wilson is hopeful that ridership will continue its upward trend.
“It’s a matter of changing people’s habits. Commuting is a habit-forming thing. It’s not something that people do on a whim,” he said. “We expect that it’s going to take some time to make it work for them.”
Langford Mayor Stew Young is pleased with the growth of the service, but says the next several months will be crucial in dictating the future of the City’s involvement in the service.
“(It’s) going in the right direction … If we double (ridership) in the next five or six months then I think it’ll be something that we do long-term. But if it stays at 19 then we won’t,” he said. “Forty would be a safe number for us and we’d have to get to that by the end of the year.”
The bus has room to accommodate 51 passengers.
Young echoed Wilson’s hopes that the increasingly troublesome parking situation in Victoria will lead more people to sign up for the bus.
Increased marketing of the Greenline is also expected over the next few weeks and the Langtoria is now offering a free ride to any interested first-timers who want to give the service a try. Wilson noted the coach’s current riders represent the best marketing the service can get.
“The 19 regulars are very much enjoying and appreciating the service and are our best word of mouth and selling tool, as far as trying to get more people on board,” he said, adding that the bulk of the riders were ex-car commuters.
Looking forward, Wilson’s goal is to have a second bus on the route by this time next year.
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com