Greater Victoria folks can leave their cars at home and hop on a bus for free on Clean Air Day.
To help promote the annual event, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission and BC Transit has said bus rides across the Victoria region will be free for all riders and handyDART customers on Wednesday, June 4.
The day of free travel for Clean Air Day will help encourage people to move around the region using a "more environmentally-friendly transportation option," explains BC Transit in a news release.
"Shifting to more environmentally sustainable modes of transportation, such as transit, drastically reduces the number of single occupant vehicles on the road, reduces traffic and helps achieve an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants in support of the province’s CleanBC Plan," they said.
Clean Air Day was first declared in 1999 by the Government of Canada as part of Canadian Environment Week. The goal is to raise awareness about air quality and climate change, as well as inspire people to consider changing habits to decrease their individual greenhouse gas emissions.
Beyond Clean Air Day, BC Transit is helping to improve air quality with the introduction of 10 electric buses. The first three for use in the Victoria Regional Transit System arrived at the end of April, and more will continue to arrive through the fall of this year.
To prepare for electric buses to enter service, BC Transit is training employees. People can expect to see electric buses on local roads during the training period.
For more information on schedules, trip planning and to sign up for customer alerts, visit: bctransit.com/victoria.
