Nanaimo Regional Transit System

For other uses, see Nanaimo (disambiguation).

Regional District of Nanaimo Transit System provides both conventional bus service and special needs paratransit services within the Regional District of Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada. The system, operated by the Regional Transportation Services Department, is jointly funded by BC Transit, the provincial agency responsible for transit services outside Metro Vancouver.

Regional District of Nanaimo Transit System

Founded	1969
Headquarters	6300 Hammond Bay Road
Locale	Nanaimo
Service type	Bus service, Paratransit
Alliance	BC Transit
Fleet	51
Fuel type	CNG
Operator	Regional District of Nanaimo
Website	Regional Transit & Nanaimo Home

Services

As of 2023, there are 20 scheduled bus routes in the region.^[1] The transit system operates seven days a week, with reduced service on weekends and holidays. All accessible buses are also equipped with bike racks. In rural areas the buses can be flagged down, as there are no designated bus stops. Passengers who are worried about their personal safety at night can ask the driver to drop them off between regular bus stops.^[2]

Regular routes

In September 2015, many of the original routes were renumbered so that all the routes between the now-superseded Prideaux Exchange in Downtown and Woodgrove Centre would end in a zero.^[3] Routes 12 and 93 were discontinued due to low ridership, while Route 40 (formerly Route 4) was extended to Woodgrove Centre and its circulation was increased to every 15-30 minutes during peak hours.^[3]

No.	Name	Route
1	Country Club/Downtown	Downtown Nanaimo, Brooks Landing Centre, Country Club Exchange
5	Fairview	Downtown Nanaimo, Harewood, Vancouver Island University, Jingle Pot/Westwood
6	Harewood	Downtown Nanaimo, Harewood, University Village, Vancouver Island University
7	Cinnabar	Downtown Nanaimo, South Parkway Plaza, Cinnabar
8	Cedar/VIU	Vancouver Island University, Harewood, South Parkway Plaza, Cedar[4]
11	Lantzville	Woodgrove Exchange to Lantzville via Aulds and Philip to Eastwind/Northwind area then back to Woodgrove Exchange via Superior, Lantzville, Dickinson, Dover, and Uplands.
15/15A	VIU Connector/VIU Connector via Jingle Pot	Vancouver Island University, Woodgrove Exchange with trips going down the entire length of Jingle Pot Road at certain times.
20/20A	Hammond Bay/Dover	Downtown, BC Ferries Departure Bay Terminal, Brooks Landing Centre, Departure Bay, Hammond Bay, Woodgrove Exchange. Some trips (20A) go along Brickyard (toward Woodgrove)/McGirr (toward Downtown) and Dover Rd.
25	Ferry Shuttle	Downtown, Harewood, Vancouver Island University, Woodgrove Exchange via Nanaimo Parkway and Metral Drive, Country Club Centre, Departure Bay Ferry Terminal, back to Downtown
30	NRGH (Nanaimo Regional General Hospital)	Downtown Nanaimo, Bowen Road, Nanaimo Regional Hospital, Northfield, Country Club Exchange, Metral Drive, Woodgrove Exchange
40	VIU Express	Downtown Nanaimo, University Village, Vancouver Island University, Bowen Road, Northfield, Country Club Exchange, Nanaimo North Town Centre via Uplands Road, Woodgrove Exchange
50	Woodgrove/Downtown	Express along the Island Highway from Downtown Nanaimo, Terminal Park, Country Club Exchange, Woodgrove Exchange
70 NCX	Nanaimo Cowichan Express	Downtown Nanaimo, Nanaimo Airport, Ladysmith, Duncan. Daily except Sunday.
78	Cassidy/Airport	Downtown Nanaimo, South Parkway Plaza, South Wellington, Cassidy, Nanaimo Airport[5]
88	Parksville	Parksville area.
91	Intercity	Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Woodgrove Exchange.
92	Hammond Bay	Once-daily route for bus students. Only runs on weekdays between September and June.
97	Eaglecrest	Circular route running in a counterclockwise direction through eastern portions of Qualicum Beach and areas just outside the town boundaries.[6]
98	Qualicum Beach	Circuitous route running in a figure-8 through western Qualicum Beach.[7]
99	Deep Bay	From Ravensong Exchange in Qualicum Beach to Deep Bay. Now daily, with twice-a-day connections to the Comox Valley Transit System daily except Sundays.

Paratransit

handyDART is a dial-a-ride service for people with a disability that is sufficiently severe that they are unable to use regular transit buses without assistance. Clients must be pre-registered to make use of this service.^[8]