As part of a joint investment of more than $83.5 million, the new handyDART centre in View Royal officially opened on March 28.
Funded by the federal and provincial governments and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, it replaces the Saanich location, which will be used for other transportation projects.
"HandyDART provides door-to-door transit services to people with disabilities that prevent them from driving or accessing regular transit. And this new View Royal Transit Facility will improve how we move this vital service to help people in Greater Victoria," said George Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary for Transit, at the centre announcement on Friday, March 28.
Built to the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design gold standard, the building sits on an 8-acre site, designed in collaboration with Streamkeepers and the community to improve its ecological integrity. An existing poor habitat watercourse was reconstructed to reconnect with groundwater and replanted with 8,000 native plants and 350 trees, creating over 1 acre of protected habitat for salmon and trout in the Craigflower Creek watershed.
"We've worked in consultation with the Esquimalt First Nation, who were instrumental in guiding our approach for how we can restore the stream, leading back up to the Craiglower Creek," said Erinn Pinkerton, president and CEO of BC Transit.
"All of us at BC Transit are very thankful and honoured that we're going to continue to work with the Esquimalt Nation, who plans to gift a Lekwungen name for that new stream in the upcoming future."
From day one, the facility will accommodate around 50 to 60 buses, however, it allows BC Transit to host up to 100 buses, allowing them to grow their fleet and expand their services.
Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca, explained how his uncle relied on handyDART after he suffered a stroke.
"I have to tell you, the connection that the drivers had, the love and care that they provided to my family in our time of need was just incredible, and I know that that's what they're going to be doing on a larger scale out here in the West Shore and throughout the Capital Regional District," he said.
The facility is expected to be in full service in April.
