Construction begins on expanded UVic transit exchange

The following is a joint release of BC Transit and the University of Victoria

VICTORIA - The Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC) along with the Government of British Columbia, BC Transit and the University of Victoria are pleased to announce the construction of a 10-bay expansion of UVic transit exchange. The expanded exchange, on the north side of the Student Union Building, will alleviate bus capacity issues at peak times and support future service expansions. It is expected to be complete by September 2014.

Fast Facts:

• $1.52 million transit exchange expansion cost-shared among VRTC, Government of British Columbia, UVic and BC Transit
• 21 bus bays at UVic as of September 2014
• 17,000 passengers daily to and from UVic (Monday through Friday)
• 1,110 transit trips daily to UVic on 14 routes (Monday through Friday)
• 28% of UVic-bound commuters take transit

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone: “B.C. is the only province that offers low-cost transit passes for students in all public post-secondary institutions, with about 14,000 U-Passes issued on the Victoria campus a month. It is important to continue to invest in transit infrastructure to support ridership growth.”

Victoria Regional Transit Commission Chair Susan Brice: “We are delighted to be making a significant improvement in the delivery of BC Transit services to UVic. The expanded transit exchange is a critical step in the Commission’s commitment to be responsive to the needs of transit customers and the communities we serve.”

UVic Vice President, Finance and Operations Gayle Gorrill: “UVic is pleased to be able to work cooperatively with BC Transit and its partners in adding new bus bays that will benefit the entire campus and the surrounding community. This initiative is a key component of the university’s sustainable transportation efforts to decrease vehicle traffic and congestion, and encourage increased bus use, cycling, walking and carpooling for travel to and from campus.”

BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha: “The UVic exchange is already the busiest transit exchange in the Region and this needed expansion will allow us to better meet the growing transit demands of the students and faculty at the University of Victoria”

For more information on BC Transit routes and schedules in the Victoria Regional Transit System please consult www.bctransit.com/regions/vic. For more on UVic’s sustainability initiatives including transportation demand management, see http://www.uvic.ca/sustainability

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