The reality is these 118 new buses are basically replacing existing ones which are now at the end of their life cycle - not actually increasing capacity

Last Thursday (July 18^th) the NDP government of Premier John Horgan took the time to advise us (as if we didn’t already know), that British Columbians need efficient and affordable public transit to get them to work or school on time and back home safely at the end of the day.

More than that however, the provincial government went on to tell us that they were ... investing in public transit fights climate change, reduces commute times and builds stronger and more sustainable communities.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier John Horgan, along with Erinn Pinkerton, president and chief executive officer for BC Transit, announced more than $79 million in joint funding to purchase 118 new buses for use in Victoria and communities throughout British Columbia.

The media release stated that that;

1.   the new buses will help shorten daily commutes ...

2.   reduce the number of cars on the road ... and ...

3.    make the province a greener place to live.

Let’s take those three things apart however.  To start with, buses (in and of themselves) cannot make a commute shorter.  Improved roads and road conditions would however be able to do that.  Secondly, these are REPLACEMENT buses therefore they won’t be adding extra capacity, and so how can they be reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

The third item however, I will agree with – new technology on these new buses will likely allow for a greener transit system.

BC Transit manages the provincial fleet of buses, which totals in the neighbourhood of 1,000.  Apparently the ‘useful life of a bus, on the average American transit system, is 12 years and / or 250,000 miles’.  In checking this figure with one of the community transit systems in BC, I was told that, ‘each vehicle type will have a slightly different 'useful life' but your 12-year figure is in the ballpark’.

The reality then is that these 118 new buses are basically replacing existing ones which are now at the end of their life cycle --- and not actually increasing capacity in communities where ridership is growing.

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep, Beep, beep, beep ... beep, beep, beep. The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep, All through the town.

Liberal Prime Minister Trudeau's comments that, “Many British Columbians depend on public transit to get where they need to go safely and efficiently”, does indeed make sense.

However, in also stating that, “As communities continue to grow, investments in public transit need to keep pace” is not in fact accurate.  As I pointed out, they are actually simply replacing old buses with new.

As for the following comment from NDP Premier John Horgan?
“Our government is committed to making life more affordable for British Columbians” ... NOT TRUE

“... while reducing greenhouse gas emissions ...” POSSIBLY ...

“... and investments like this will help us do just that.”  HALF TRUE

And as for the following comment from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that, “... we are making a real difference in the lives of British Columbians”?

The doors on the bus go open and shut,
Open and shut, open and shut.
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
All through the town.

Or maybe it should be ... 'The mouths of the politicians go open and shut ... open and shut ... open and shut.'

Trudeau is indeed, ‘making a real difference -- a transformation to a nation of massive indebtedness that WILL have to be paid.  And as he continues to increase spending, ultimately, we as taxpayers are on the hook for it.

And that indebtedness can only be paid through cuts to services, and sooner or later bigger increases to taxes and fees