Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen)Territory / Victoria, B.C. — Today, BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau announced a proposal to make public transit free in BC to alleviate financial strain on families, create more livable, connected communities and reduce the province’s carbon footprint.
“Transportation affects every aspect of our lives, where we live, how we connect with others, and whether we can access opportunities,” said Furstenau. “Fast, frequent and free transit will shift how people move, reduce household costs, and enable a giant leap forward on meeting our climate goals.”
The BC Greens propose:
- Free public transit, province-wide
- Hourly service on key regional routes
- Double the number of city buses within 4 years; triple within 8 years
“It’s a win-win. Free transit will save families thousands of dollars each year, and will also ease the growing congestion on our roads,” continued Furstenau.
Families in BC currently spend about 14% of their income on transportation, with car ownership costing nearly $10,000 annually, compared to under $1,000 for transit. In Canada, cars are responsible for 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions, making transportation reform critical for climate action.
“Reliable transportation access is essential to building an equitable province. Public transit connects people with their jobs, healthcare providers, family and friends,” said Jeremy Valeriote, BC Green Party candidate for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
“BC is a growing province, and we cannot build our way out of traffic congestion. What we can do is build a smarter, more efficient transit system that people want to use. It’s time to think about transit infrastructure the way we currently think about car infrastructure: as an essential service.”
The BC Greens propose reallocating existing funds and investing $720 million annually to double BC Transit’s operations, with $420 million from the provincial budget and anticipated savings from improved efficiency.
Media contact:
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary, BC Green Party
jojo.beattie@greenparty.bc.ca
Phone: +1 250-418-5528
