Plans to improve bus service in Greater Victoria have been saved... for now.
The province has just announced a $1.6-million dollar cash injection into the Victoria transit system. It comes after the recent provincial budget denied Victoria Transit a hike in the local gas tax to help fund a service expansion.
"We had purchased buses," says Transit Commission Chair Susan Brice, "we had been disappointed because we had to purchase these buses ahead of time but, because it didn't looked like we were going to get the money, they were going to have go into a provincial fleet and get absorbed. Well, now they're coming and they're coming to Victoria. So we will have eight new busses and 20 thousand additional hours."
Much of the extra capacity will go towards easing overcrowding and frequency problems by beefing up existing routes.
"Our issue now is this is interim funding. It's one year funding," says Brice. "There are options that have to be discussed and the Transit Commission will have an opportunity to weigh and consider those over the coming year. But, for this year starting September, it's full steam ahead."
Transit funding in Greater Victoria comes from a number of different sources. The BC Government provides nearly a third of the budget, with the rest made up through a mix of property taxes, a 3.5 cent a litre gas tax, and bus fares.