The bus in the Elk Valley will be among the 315 across B.C. which will be installed with Automated Vehicle Location technology, allowing riders to see the bus location in real-time, so they can plan further ahead.

In a release from BC Transit, they reported that they had signed an agreement for the technology to be rolled out around the province through 2022. Routes in the Kootenays – including the Elk Valley – will be fitted with the technology in summer of 2022.

The technology allows customers to see real-time bus locations along the route, and lets riders know of predicted arrival times at any selected stop through the BC Transit website and the Transit App. The data will also be shared with Google maps.

The project, ‘NextRide’, is funded through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. This project is being cost shared with the Government of Canada contributing 50 per cent, the Province of British Columbia contributing 40 per cent and local government partners contributing the remaining 10 per cent. The project cost for NextRide being installed in these additional transit systems is nearly $6 million.

B.C.’s minister for transportation and Infrastructure, Rob Fleming, said that it was a step in the right direction to roll out the technology across the province.

“State-of-the-art technology like this will enhance the user experience, encourage more people to leave their cars at home and help rebuild transit ridership as we emerge from COVID-19,” he said.

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BC Transit