B.C. to get 118 new buses, including 10 electric buses in Victoria
B.C. Transit is receiving $79 million in joint funding for the buses
British Columbia is getting 118 new buses, including 10 electric buses in Greater Victoria, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
B.C. Transit — which oversees public transit outside Metro Vancouver — is receiving $79 million in funding for the new fleet, which will replace aging buses and boost transit in communities where ridership is growing.
The federal government and B.C. government are each pitching in $31 million, while B.C. municipalities are investing more than $16 million.
The electric buses in Victoria will support B.C. Transit's new live bus tracking technology and closed-circuit television security cameras.
The governments say the new buses will also help curb air pollution and shorten commutes.
Trudeau, who is facing re-election in October, made the announcement at B.C. Transit's head office in Victoria alongside B.C. Premier John Horgan.
Later that day, protesters gathered outside a Delta hotel where Trudeau attended a Liberal fundraising event.
Protesters held inflatable whales and signs in protest of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which the Liberal government approved earlier this month.
