BC Transit has added three brand new buses to its local fleet, replacing several that had been in operation for as long as twenty years.
According to Chris Fudge, the senior regional transit manager, the older buses were nearing the end of their service life. The new buses will have a seating capacity of 30, with an additional standing capacity of 24. Each bus is also equipped with two mobility aids as well. The 35 ft. buses are also equipped with closed circuit tv cameras, which Fudge said has aided law enforcement in other towns.
Fudge said the older buses are likely to be scrapped.
"Typically when buses reach the end of their life, there's a few things that can happen to them. We'll inspect them and determine if there is any useful life left for them, so they can go into our provincial contingency fleet. In some cases they can be auctioned off. But what will likely happen to buses that are that old is that they will be scrapped," he said.
BC Transit currently operates a fleet of 26 buses in Prince George.
Mayor Lyn Hall said the new buses would better serve the region during winters with heavier snowfall.
"They're better able to manoeuvre around tight corners. If you take a look at what's happened over the last four weeks with the snowfall we've had, we've seen buses that have some manoeuvrability issues," Hall said.
"It really does rejuvenate our additional fleet."
The new buses each cost $350,000. The costs will be shared between the Province and the city.
Hall said council has voted to increase service hours for transit in Prince George, has improved service in the evenings and has brought holiday hours to the same level of service as Sundays.
Although the new buses may improve service for city-based transit, Fudge said there were no immediate plans to increase capacity for BC Transit's Highway 16 bus service. The service was introduced as a means of providing safer travel along the so-called 'highway of tears' between Prince George and Smithers. The highway has been the site of the murder or disappearance of as many as 50 women since the late 1960's. Greyhound has recently announced plans to discontinue all of its routes serving northern B.C., including those along Highway 16, leading to calls from some for a publicly-funded transit service in the region.
"There aren't plans right now. It is still a fairly new service so it's still in that phase where it is maturing," Fudge said.
