With the exit of Greyhound bus services across most of the province, three regional initiatives will receive funding to expand and improve rural public transportation.
A fresh $5 million will ensure the continuation of both BC Bus North and the Northern Community Shuttle Program until 2026 to 2027.
Also through the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), those services will be added to a new online booking platform being developed with an extra $250,000 which is expected to be available this fall.
In addition, NDIT will be splitting another $2.5 million with two regional trusts to conduct public consultation surveys.
That information will be used to gauge the need for more public transport between rural communities in the North, the Southern Interior and on Vancouver Island.
Established in 2018, BC Bus North was a direct response to the loss of Greyhound bus services in the north, as well as the Community Shuttle program, both in an effort to maintain safe transport between rural communities.
Which is something that North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice says is important for those located along the stretch of Highway 16 dubbed the Highway of Tears known for being the site of many missing and murdered women and girls.
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