New $20M BC Transit bus centre coming to Colwood

(BC Transit/Twitter)

BC Transit is opening a new "provincial distribution centre" in Colwood, B.C., which will help centralize its fleet and maintenance work.

The new $20.6 million facility is being funded by all three levels of government, with the federal government providing roughly $2.3 million, the provincial government contributing $8.4 million, and local governments providing $9.9 million.

In a joint statement, the federal and provincial governments, as well as BC Transit, said the new distribution centre would help improve bus availability across the province by streamlining maintenance work.

The provincial distribution centre will also include storage space for parts for all different types of buses, including electric buses, and moves maintenance workers inside, "eliminating the need to work outside in bad weather."

"Providing people with reliable public transit options is essential to getting more cars off the road," said Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, in a release Wednesday.

"Investing in a provincial distribution centre in Colwood will help keep more buses in service, encouraging residents to choose a lower-emission mode of travel," he said on behalf of Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

Wednesday's announcement comes just days after BC Transit announced the imminent arrival of its new tap payment program in the Victoria Regional Transit System.

The tap payment system, called Umo, is launching in Victoria on a trial basis over the next few weeks before fully opening to the public later this spring.

Umo was also funded by all three levels of government and is expected to launch in other areas of the province later this year.