Transit System: 100 Mile House, Agassiz-Harrison, Ashcroft-Cache Creek-Clinton, Bella Coola Valley, Boundary, Bulkley-Nechako, Campbell River, Central Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, Clearwater, Columbia Valley, Comox Valley, Cranbrook, Creston Valley, Dawson Creek, Elk Valley, Fort St. John, Hazeltons, Hope, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kimberley, Kitimat, Merritt, Mount Waddington, Nanaimo, Pemberton Valley, Port Alberni, Port Edward, Powell River, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Revelstoke, Salt Spring Island, Shuswap, Skeena, Smithers, South Okanagan-Similkameen, Squamish, Sunshine Coast, Terrace, Vernon, Victoria, West Coast, West Kootenay, Whistler, Williams Lake
Public transit plays an important role in combating climate change, and BC Transit has several ongoing initiatives related to sustainability that align with Earth Day, which is taking place next Tuesday, April 22.
Shifting to more environmentally sustainable modes of transportation, such as public transit, drastically reduces the number of single occupant vehicles on the road, reduces traffic, and helps achieve an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Below are just some of the projects and programs BC Transit has undertaken to support a healthier, more sustainable environment.
Free transit for Earth Day in select communities
On April 22, the following transit systems will be providing free transit for both fixed-route and handyDART services:
BC Transit would like to thank the City of Nelson, City of Penticton, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, Regional District of Central Kootenay and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission for their support of free transit on Earth Day.
The BusReady sustainability campaign
BC Transit has a dedicated BusReady team and website that help kids learn about riding the bus safely and respectfully through interactive games, videos and activities. The team’s Our Power. Our Planet. April campaign invites kids to learn how to protect the planet and find out more about BC Transit’s green practices. Children and their families can find great Earth Day related games and resources at busready.bctransit.com/earth-day.
Electrification and the updated fleet acquisition strategy
Our Low Carbon Fleet Program aligns with the Province’s CleanBC Plan, and BC Transit is well on the path to achieving its mandate of reaching a 40 per cent reduction in fleet emissions by 2030 and a 60 per cent reduction by 2040. The organization is delivering phase one of its Electrification Program which includes deploying 125 heavy-duty electric buses over the next three years. There are currently more than 280 Compressed Natural Gas buses in our fleet, and BC Transit also intends to procure approximately 105 heavy duty hybrid buses, which will help more communities realize reductions in GHG emissions.
View Royal handyDART Centre opens
The new centre in the Victoria Regional Transit System, which officially opened March 28, is BC Transit’s first Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold standard building. The investment in a long-term, fully electrified site will allow for expansion of handyDART service, while also supporting the transition to a low-carbon battery electric bus fleet. The 8-acre property was holistically designed in collaboration with stream keepers and the community to improve the ecological integrity of the previously degraded site. More information on this award-winning project can be found here.
More information on BC Transit’s future zero-emission fleet and sustainability initiatives is available here.
For information on BC Transit schedules, routes and service alerts, please
visit bctransit.com.
Media Contact
BC Transit Communications
media@bctransit.com
