BC Transit to buy 255 new buses and expand bus shelters for $250 million
Major funding infusions from both the federal and provincial governments will enable BC Transit to buy 255 new buses for use across the province and perform other related infrastructure improvements.
The fleet investment will cost about $249 million, with the federal government contributing $102 million, the provincial government contributing $99 million, and BC Transit with the remainder of $47 million.
This funding will be used to buy 210 light-duty buses, 29 high-capacity diesel buses, 10 high-capacity, battery-electric buses, and six light-duty battery-electric buses. These vehicles will be used for both conventional and HandyDART services, including the replacement of existing aging vehicles.
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Additionally, 377 existing buses will see some equipment upgrades to extend the lifespan and improve the safety and reliability of the vehicles.
Part of the investment will also go towards designing a new bus depot and performing upgrades to the existing Kelowna Transit Centre bus depot for the future introduction of a battery-electric bus fleet.
As well, $17.3 million of the investment will be used to install 286 new and improved bus shelters across the province.
As of last month, according to BC Transit, ridership on the provincial bus public transit services has fully returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
“Replacing our aging fleet, maintaining existing fleets, and making sure our customers have transit shelters that make their experience a more comfortable one are all great projects being funded with this announcement,” said Erinn Pinkerton, president and CEO of BC Transit, in a statement.
“As we have now returned to our pre-pandemic ridership levels, the addition of more buses will continue to help us ensure transit remains the most convenient transportation solution for communities across the province.”
Today’s announcement is in addition to the nearly $400 million commitment made in July 2023 to buy up to 115 battery-electric buses and 134 charging stations, with the federal government committing $170 million, the provincial government committing $159 million, and BC Transit with $67 million. BC Transit has a goal of fully transitioning to a battery-electric bus fleet by 2040.
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