Shiny new buses will be on the streets in 2015; being paid for out of the gas tax refund the province gives Burlington.
By Staff
October 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier
in the life of the current council an agreement was signed with
Metrolinx and 12 other Ontario municipalities to put together a buying
group for transit related equipment.
Burlington
residents will benefit from enhanced transit when nine new buses will
be delivered to Burlington; they are part of a purchase of 203 buses.
New buses will be on the streets in 2015 – replacing vehicles that are 12 years old.
Each 12-meter bus will carry up to 70 passengers and be fully accessible,
helping
people better access jobs, family, friends and community services. The
buses will also meet the latest emission standards and be equipped with
electrical accessories, such as electrically powered oil radiators, to
improve fuel efficiency and help reduce costs.
In
a statement put out by the province they said: “Building smarter, more
integrated transit is part of the government’s economic plan for
Ontario. The four part plan is building Ontario up by investing in
people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like
roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where
business thrives, and building a secure savings plan so everyone can
afford to retire.”
Nice political rhetoric there – now for the reality check.
Doug
Brown, chair of Bfast, a local transit advocacy group that pushes the
city to improve transit said: “No real news here, as the 10 year capital
plan included 9 replacement buses in 2015.
“Since
these are replacement vehicles, there will be no increase in the
overall Burlington Transit capacity and the city will continue to be
underserved in terms of bus capacity and transit service hours.
The retirement of older (12 years) buses will reduce maintenance costs, and increase reliability.
Funding for these replacement buses comes not from the City, but from the Provincial Gas Tax. Burlington reduced transit’s share of these Gas Tax funds from 30% to 20% in 2013.
Funding for these replacement buses comes not from the City, but from the Provincial Gas Tax. Burlington reduced transit’s share of these Gas Tax funds from 30% to 20% in 2013.
Burlington
has been part of the group buying process with Metrolinx and other
municipalities for a number of years. The large orders resulting from
group buying allows the participating agencies to leverage better
prices.
Burlington’s
MPP, Eleanor McMahon said: “This is great news for transit riders in
Burlington. With this partnership, Burlington will save money and
provide better service, making transit better for the environment and
for the entire community.”
The next time you see our MPP on a bus – let us know – that will be news.
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