The arrival of three new BC Transit buses will mean an increase to seating capacity on BC Transit’s Highway 16 routes from Burns Lake-Smithers and Burns Lake-Prince George.
BC Transit Senior Regional Manager Chris Fudge says these new buses were a must need for a very popular transit service.
“There were issues reported in the past where people were being turned away due to lack of seating,” says Fudge “however, with this announcement today, those worries should be a thing of the past. These upgraded buses will have an additional ten seats per bus as well as other modernized touches.”
The new 2017 International ElDorado 320 AeroElite buses will increase current seating capacity from 20 to 30. With all mobility aid positions in use, capacity will be 24 passengers (20 seated and 4 mobility aids).
The one-way fare on each of these routes is five dollars. Route 161 (Burns Lake-Prince George) runs a return route each way on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Between June 2017 and February 2018, this route saw 2546 passenger boardings.
Route 162 (Burns Lake-Smithers) runs each way on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with 1064 boardings during the same time period.
“It’s wonderful to see the success of the Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan, which is providing a significant boost to safe and reliable travel for people in Northern BC., in particular for Indigenous women and teenaged girls,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Bringing in larger, higher capacity buses is really positive news for those who rely on public transportation in these smaller, northern communities, as these buses will be able to transport more people to work, school, appointments, and visits with family and friends.”
Each bus will cost approximately $260,000 and is part of the nearly $160 million in federal and provincial funding for BC Transit projects that was first announced in June 2016. These buses are part of a larger province-wide refresh and expansion program, with over 100 buses arriving in communities across British Columbia over the next two-years.
These three new vehicles will replace the buses that were put into service when the Highway 16 routes were launched in June 2017.