The British Columbian town of Whistler, north of Vancouver, will soon have an upgraded transit facility thanks to funding approved by the Canadian government. The funds will allow public transportation provider BC Transit to install a new natural gas compressor and fuelling station to support buses that run on compressed natural gas (CNG).
Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Jordan Sturdy, Member of Legislative Assembly of West Vancouver Sea to Sky, were at the BC Transit Facility in Whistler to announce the funding.
This is a public transit project funded under the initial phase of Investing in Canada, the federal government’s long term infrastructure plan. This project will receive $1,600,000 from the federal Public Transport Infrastructure Fund (PTIF).
“B.C. was the first province to sign an agreement with Canada under the new Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, which demonstrates our commitment to investing in transit communities throughout the province,” said Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “This funding will enable Whistler to move into the future with cleaner burning CNG-fuelled buses and technology upgrades that will help meet rising demand for service while lowering our carbon footprint.”
The B.C. government will provide $1,056,000 towards the project. Whistler will provide the remaining $544,000.
Not only will this investment reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it will also position Whistler to meet future demands for increased ridership and improve operational efficiency.
Manuel Achadinha, President and CEO of BC Transit, also commented: “The new facility will support CNG buses which will benefit the environment and are proven to reduce operating costs. These investments will also support the growing demand for transit in the community.”
(Source: Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Canada)
