New actions include free transit for low income seniors, building bus rapid transit

SURREY – David Eby is pledging new action to help people in Surrey get around more easily and affordably with expanded bus rapid transit and free transit passes for low income seniors. This builds on Eby’s plan to cut gas prices by up to 30¢ per litre, and complete the Surrey Langley Skytrain.

“Families and small businesses here in Surrey are feeling the squeeze and I’m determined to make life easier for them. Our plan will get you where you need to go and back home again, faster and cheaper,” said David Eby, BC NDP leader. “Conservatives won’t stand up to big oil to bring you relief at the pumps and they made a secret deal with personal injury lawyers to double your car insurance rates. We can’t afford their chaos or their higher costs – especially now.”

Eby also announced that he will give Surrey its own municipal charter, granting B.C.’s fastest-growing city the same kind of authority Vancouver has. This will give local leaders the tools they need to directly address pressing housing, transit, infrastructure, and community needs. The Surrey Charter will ensure that the city can thrive amidst rapid growth and has more autonomy and flexibility to meet the needs of Surrey residents.

“Surrey is on track to become B.C’s largest city, and it needs the tools to match its size. A municipal charter will give people on the ground the power to shape the city’s future,” said David Eby, BC NDP leader. “This will provide decision-makers here what they need to deliver more parks and better facilities for families, smoother daily commutes, and drive economic growth with higher paying jobs in the community.”

How David Eby will help people in Surrey get around easily and more affordably:

• Slash up to 30 cents a litre off gas: Suspend a portion of the provincial gas tax while regulating oil company profit margins to save as much as $20 when you fill up your tank.
• Free transit passes for seniors in need: Make the Seniors’ Bus Pass free for 350,000 low-income seniors across the province and expand the income eligibility so that tens of thousands of more facing financial pressures can access public transit for free.
• Deliver bus rapid transit in Surrey: Invest $250 million to leverage federal funding and deliver Bus Rapid Transit along King George Boulevard, from Surrey to White Rock, working in partnership with TransLink.
• Connect Surrey to Langley: Open the new Surrey Langley Skytrain in 2029, part of the record investments the BC NDP is making to expand public transit across British Columbia.