Adding buses is the most affordable way to immediately improve public transit: union

METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – More buses, not big projects, are the best way to improve Metro Vancouver’s transportation issues, according to the bus drivers union.

There’s no surprise that the union is hoping to add more jobs, and Nathan Woods with Unifor Local 111 admits as much.

But he says buses can be bought immediately and are more flexible than rigid rapid transit projects, which are often pricey, and — as we see with the Evergreen Line — can run behind schedule.

“For the cost of an LRT in Surrey, you could actually get 500 buses,” says Woods. “Those 500 buses wouldn’t just help that one line in Surrey. They would be helping the region as a whole. There’s 22 municipalities here that need service.”

As for where the cash will come from, Woods wants the province to do more.

“More and more people are being forced into cars,” says Woods. “At the end of the day, that’s not very productive. If we had those 500 buses, those communities could be serviced and transit and roadways would be a lot easier to drive through.”

Woods suggests large transit projects are tied more toward politicians looking for a legacy rather than interested in good policy.

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