B.C. Greens release transportation plans, includes free transit for youth, seniors
Published 4:24 pm Friday, October 9, 2026
B.C. Green incumbent Jeremy Valeriote laid out the party’s plans for transportation in the province during a stop in Whistler Friday (Oct. 9).
The party has plans to offer free transit passes for youth under 25 and seniors aged 65 and older, as well as boost bus service, increase funding for ferries and expand its infrastructure and develop passenger rail.
Valeriote, the incumbent for West Vancouver-Sea-to-Sky, said bringing transit to his riding is a “no brainer.”
“Constituents have been asking for years and it costs very little to get operational, but the provincial government has thrown up roadblock after roadblock,” he said.
“Even within regional governance that is aligned and focused on this issue, working with the BC NDP has made this impossible.”
B.C. Greens Leader Emily Lowan said that by providing stable funding “to deliver fast, frequent service,” her party would remove one of the biggest barriers communities face in delivering transit people can rely on.
Ferries and rail
Lowan said B.C. has the capacity to run more ferries, as well as rail corridors.
“Yet due to consistent delays and unsustainable funding, these essential services have been neglected,” she said.
Lowan said the B.C Greens would make sure communities, workers and families from across B.C. can stay connected, “through supporting a future for our rail corridors, building and maintaining ferries locally, and supporting the union workers we’ll need to connect B.C.”
The B.C. Greens would work with the federal government to increase funding and achieve parity with Atlantic Canada for ferry service. Part of that work would include reviewing the governance model and long-term funding arrangements.
The party would also expand infrastructure at terminals and docks, including planning for electric ferries.
B.C. Greens also pledged to build and maintain ships locally “to boost the local economy and provide good union work.”
In May 2025, BC Ferries selected a Chinese state-owned shipyard as the winning bidder to build four new massive hybrid-electric ferries. The B.C. government says no local shipyards bid on the contract.
READ MORE: Building new B.C. ferries in China cost Canada $1.5B in lost GDP, report finds
A recent report found that that choice will cost roughly $1.5 billion in lost GDP and cede the equivalent of 10,000 person-years of employment. The report also estimates that $413 million would have ended up in government coffers, offsetting construction costs.
For rail, the B.C. Greens said it plans to support the BC Rail Corridor Alliance, including financial support for an engineering assessment, economic study, and operations funding. It would also protect the rail corridor as an integrated public transportation asset while opportunities for active transportation, recreation and tourism are evaluated.
The Greens also say the party would work with First Nations and the Island Corridor Foundation to determine next steps for Vancouver Island rail.
– With files from Mark Page