The Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC) welcomes the sustainable transit funding announcement from the Government of Canada. While we will need to work in collaboration to determine the details, the VRTC can see the positive impact this funding will have on advancing our vision for public transportation in Greater Victoria.
The Government of Canada and Province of BC are very important partners to the VRTC.
The Safe Restart funding provided to offset the impacts of COVID-19 highlights the important role public transit plays for the people who need us now and in the future as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
In addition, our partners have been instrumental in supporting new infrastructure and buses. Highlights include:
- Building bus priority lanes along Highway 1 that have improved travel times and will be key in our RapidBus initiative
- Building a new paint and body shop at the Victoria Transit Centre
- Funding our first 10 battery electric buses that will be on the road in 2022
- Introducing compressed natural gas buses
Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we were experiencing high demand for public transit. We are hearing throughout the region a continued optimism that the demand is still there, and we need to prepare to meet that customer demand with enhanced frequency, infrastructure, technology and coverage throughout Greater Victoria.
Knowing that there is sustainable funding coming from the Government of Canada will help us continue delivering for our customers now, and plan for the future.
We look forward to celebrating project announcements, milestones, and completions with the Government of Canada and Province of BC in the years to come.
