VICTORIA – Local New Democrat MLAs say that federal and provincial investments in public transit infrastructure will help Greater Victoria commuters get around faster and more easily.
“People in Greater Victoria need reliable and accessible public transit to get around the region every day,” said Rob Fleming, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “This investment will help BC Transit to continue to improve their services for people in our community.”
Through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), the provincial and federal governments invested a combined total of over $73 million to connect commuters across Southwestern B.C., including in the Greater Victoria region, plus an additional $18 million investment from BC Transit to bring the total investments to over $91 million.
This funding will support projects in Saanich, Langford, and Victoria, including 12 in-depot charging points at the Langford Transit Centre, deployment of a battery electric bus fleet, expansion of transit services, preparation for the Saanich Transit Centre, and the creation of a maintenance training facility at the Victoria Transit Centre.
“As our population and infrastructure grows in Langford and across the CRD, more people need transit in their daily lives and activities,” said Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca. “By working with BC Transit and our federal partners, we are helping ensure people all over our region will be better connected to their communities.”
“When we invest in transit, more people have access to more options to get around and connect with the services they need,” said Lana Popham, MLA for Saanich South. “This investment will make a difference for people in Saanich, and people commuting around the region.”
This investment will help people in Greater Victoria have access to better, cleaner transit, and people working for BC Transit will be able to train for and maintain their bus fleet to support transit services for everyone.