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Victoria (YYJ): route 88 to Sidney, and the ferry connection

BC Transit route 88 serves the Victoria International Airport stop, 06:19 to 21:18. Route 71 runs the Swartz Bay ferry to downtown Victoria.

  • Route 88, Airport / Sidney, is the main service: about 2100 scheduled calls, 06:19 to 21:18, headsigned Airport and Sidney.
  • The stop is named Victoria International Airport, about 860 metres from the runway reference point.
  • Sidney is the town next to the airport, and it is where you change for most onward journeys.
  • Route 71, Swartz Bay / Downtown, passes nearby, 06:10 to 17:55, linking the BC Ferries terminal with central Victoria.
  • Swartz Bay is the ferry to Tsawwassen for Vancouver, a few kilometres north of the airport.
  • Route 87 runs Saanichton / Sidney via Dean Park, with a headsign reading Dean Park via Airport.
  • Routes 83, 85 and 82 fill in the Saanich Peninsula, towards Brentwood, Royal Oak and Saanichton.
  • Downtown Victoria is about 25 km south, so this is a long ride on local buses.

Route 88

  • BC Transit's route 88, Airport / Sidney, is the airport service. About 2124 scheduled calls in the published timetable, running 06:19 to 21:18.
  • The stop is Victoria International Airport. A cluster of others sits on Canora Road, Mills Road and McDonald Park Road within about a kilometre.
  • Sidney is a five minute ride and is the local hub. From there you pick up services down the peninsula.

The ferry, which is the real reason to know this network

  • Swartz Bay is the BC Ferries terminal for Tsawwassen, the crossing to the Vancouver mainland. It is a short distance north of the airport.
  • Route 71, Swartz Bay / Downtown, runs via West Sidney, 06:10 to 17:55.
  • If you are flying into Victoria and heading for Vancouver, or the reverse, this pairing is worth understanding before you land.

The rest of the peninsula

  • Route 83, Sidney / Brentwood / Royal Oak via West Saanich, 07:02 to 20:16.
  • Route 85, North Saanich, 06:28 to 20:04.
  • Route 87, Saanichton / Sidney via Dean Park, with an explicit Dean Park via Airport headsign.
  • Route 82, Sidney / Saanichton via Stautw, from 05:59.

The distance to town

  • Downtown Victoria is about 25 km south of the airport. On local buses that is a long trip with at least one change.
  • The last departures are around nine in the evening, which does not cover late arrivals.
  • Butchart Gardens sits between the two, on the West Saanich corridor, if you are routing around the peninsula anyway.

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What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.