Victoria Regional Transit Commission chairwoman Susan Brice is optimistic the province will approve a two-cents-a-litre increase to the gas tax for expansion of public transit.
Commissioners formally decided Tuesday to submit a request for the increase, which would push the transit portion of gas at the pump to 5.5 cents a litre.
Given that Transportation Minister Todd Stone said he would consider it, along with the general support for the tax from both the business community and the Capital Regional District, there is every reason to be positive, Brice said.
“I think the message around the region is that people are not looking forward to paying extra on their fuel but this is something they’re prepared to support,” Brice said.
Transit commissioners have said no expansion of transit service is possible without the increase.
The Victoria Regional Transit System receives about 34 per cent of its funding through fares and advertising, 30 per cent from provincial grants, 25 per cent from property taxes and 11 per cent from the fuel tax.
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin, a transit commissioner, said the province likes to link a gas tax to better transit.
“Everybody wants to see increased bus services, and the challenge is just how can we do that in an affordable way,” Fortin said, adding the gas tax “is fundamental” to Victoria transit moving forward.
“We are physically challenged that we can no longer really expand our bus services unless we can expand our yards. So the gas tax is going to be crucial to our ability to do that,” Fortin said.
Fortin said nobody likes to pay more in taxes but most are more accepting of tax increases if they can see direct value for the money.
“So there’s capacity to say: ‘OK, I pay more at the pump, but I realize this is going to increase public transit.’ We’ve heard, whether it be from the Chamber of Commerce or our residents, that that is an acceptable tax to them,” he said.
Commissioners heard Tuesday from representatives from both Camosun College and UVic who said unless there’s improvement to bus service, some students might start agitating to have a referendum on the U-Pass program, which is a substantial source of revenue for B.C. Transit.
Fortin said it’s understandable the students want good service for the passes they are currently required to buy.
“And, frankly, there’s the opportunity to make lifelong public transit users of our youth at Oak Bay, Camosun and UVic. It’s an important opportunity we should not miss,” Fortin said.
“But that means buses that are reliable and buses that are comfortable. We have to get rid of the overcrowding and the pass-ups.”
