Hard lobbying by representatives of the Camosun College Student Society and the University of Victoria Student Society proved crucial in convincing the Greater Victoria Transit Commission to resume late-night bus service in Victoria.  At a meeting on June 7 the College and University Student Societies impressed upon the commissioners the importance of this service for students which ran as a trial from February to April.

About 11,000 rides were provided between midnight and 1:30 a.m. during the three month trial period. On average, the Friday late-night buses each carried 19 passengers an hour, while the Saturday late-night service carried 2 passengers an hour per bus. The system-wide average is 55 riders an hour per bus.

The commission had to use it's contingency fund to pay for the late-night service which runs buses on routes 4, 6, and 14 until 1:30 am on Fridays and Saturdays. There was opposition from some parts of the Commission because the estimated cost of $500,000 was considered too high. Mayors Frank Leonard of Saanich and Janet Evans of Sooke seemed most skeptical about extending the program which had prompted the CCSS to write a blunt letter threatening to mobilize students against the Saanich Mayor.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Students+target+mayor+over/3116878/story.html

 
Nonetheless the end result of the vote is that the service will resume in September. A proposal to create a $2 or $3 surcharge was discussed but ultimately rejected.

"I'm really happy with this decision," said Matteus Clement, External Executive with the Camosun College Student Society. "This really shows what students can accomplish when we work together."  The Student Societies have been a major proponent of transit usage for years, passing a referendum in 1999 to establish the UPass program which makes all student cards into bus passes at a cost of $17.31/ month in 2009/2010.  Students contribute over $5million in annual revenue to the transit system.

Transit Commission chairperson (and Oak Bay Mayor) Christopher Causton agreed that students have been great customers for Transit. "Let’s face it — the student body is one of the reasons we’ve been able
to expand so well in this region," adding that "They are our No. 1 customer, if you like, and they’ve driven a lot of
our business"