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CASTLEGAR – Transit riders in Castlegar will be able to catch the bus twice as often, and people with disabilities will have more transportation choices, thanks to $193,000 in additional transit funding, announced today by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon.
“We know people in smaller communities want to save money and fight climate change by leaving their cars at home and taking the bus,” said Falcon. “They need affordable and efficient transit service to do that, and this funding is making that possible in Castlegar.”
A portion of the money, $86,000, will pay for a 53 per cent increase in transit services in Castlegar, beginning in early 2009. BC Transit and Castlegar Regional Transit Service are restructuring the community’s routes, introducing shorter routes and more frequent service.
The regional transit service will use the remaining $107,000 to buy an additional bus for Castlegar.
The total cost of the service increase and the new bus is $389,000. The Central Kootenay Regional District and passenger fares will contribute the remaining funds.
The provincial funding announced
today comes from $20.5 million in new funding for BC Transit this year. It
is also part of the funding from the Provincial Transit Plan, which aims to
double transit ridership provincewide by 2020 by increasing choices for
travellers. The $14-billion plan also focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions
from cars by 4.7 million tonnes cumulatively by 2020.
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contact: |
Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure 250 356-7707 |
Media Relations BC Transit 250 995-5720 |
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