Victoria Transit Riders Union

YouTube video by Victoria Transit Riders Union VTRU at the Rotary Club - Jan 7, 2026

Our very own Liz spoke to the Rotary Club about our work and vision for the future. youtu.be/dRFiqmNTGWc #yyj #transit #farefreebc

Slide 5: text reads: C is for Cars suck. They make communities: more dangerous, less healthy (physically and mentally), louder, uglier, less social. A large cartoon letter C appears alongside the text. A large cartoon letter C appears at the top. An image of a car with the universal prohibition sign over it is below.

Slide 6: text reads: Cars are expensive. Did you know? An 8km Fraser Valley Highway expansion cost 76 times more than the cost of a year of fare-free transit in the Victoria region. A cartoon letter C appears at the top. An image of a busy highway with exaggerated "just one more lane bro" text appears below.

Slide 7: An image of the three smiling cartoon letters on the hill. They each have a speech bubble over top. The letter A reads "tax the rich", the letter B reads "Dream big!" and the letter C reads "Remember: cars suck!". Below the image text reads: Join us to help make our dreams for fare-free and excellent transit come true! Below that are the logos for Common Horizon and Vic Transit Riders Union.

Huge thanks to @justin_steinburg1 for the inspo & design. #yyj #transit #farefreebc

Slide 1: text reads: excellent fare-free transit sounds nice, but isn't it unrealistically expensive? Nope! It's as simple as. Below, a cartoon image of the letters A, B, and C with smiling faces appear atop a hill. The logos for Common Horizon and Vic Transit Riders Union below.

Slide 2: text reads: A is for taxation. It's time to tax the rich. The rich are getting richer while more Canadians struggle. Canada's 40 richest billionaires grew their wealth by nearly $95 billion dollars last year. A large cartoon letter A appears next to the text.

Slide 3: text reads: Did you know? If we stopped the wealthy from dodging taxes via tax havens, we would generate enough money to pay for free transit fares across the country. The wealthiest 1% in Canada pay less in taxes than the average Canadian (As a percentage of income). Below, an image of Jim Pattison alongside an alert box that reads: It would take a cashier at Save-On-Foods working minimum wage full time for 366,300 years to earn Jim Pattison’s net worth ($12 billion)

Slide 4: text reads: B is for Better imagination. Dreaming of a better future is the first step to making it come true. In a thought bubble below, text reads: Vienna dreamt up affordable social housing and made it a reality by taxing millionaires. Rent there is now half of that in similar cities. A large cartoon letter B accompanies the text above and and image of the rooftops in Vienna below.

People often ask us how we expect to fund fare-free public transit. The answer is as simple as A-B-C, really, and we've teamed up with @chcvictoriabc to share it with you all!
Next time someone asks you, just remember: TAX the rich! dream BIG! CARS suck! #yyj #transit #farefreebc

Activists like Parks have won victories for poor and working people throughout history. But the fight isn't over.
Many can't afford the bus, others live in transit deserts. Indigenous communities are especially affected by this inequity.
Join the VTRU and help us abolish the fares-based system! #yyj

Talking About Transit: Trolley Documentary Screening and Discussion Did you know Victoria once had 39 trams (or "trolleys") with rail lines reaching far and wide? It's hard to imagine in our car-dominated world, but we could shift back to better transit in Victoria. C...

Come watch “The Trolley” documentary (runtime 45 minutes)
The screening will be followed by a discussion about the history and future of public transit in Victoria.
Attendance is free but space is limited so RSVP bit.ly/trolleydoc
Feb 3 Doors at 6pm, screening at 6:30pm

VTRU’s 2025 Annual Report is out now 🎉 From community events to fare‑free transit advocacy to standing with transit workers ✊ riders made real gains this year. Read the report and see how we’re building a stronger, more just transit system for all 🚍
victoriatransitridersunion.com/2026/01/17/v...

YouTube video by Guy Dauncey Change The World, with Liz Cronin,

Liz was interviewed for Rogers TV youtu.be/-S7FxRSVHjk

🚍 Saanich meets Jan 19, 6:30pm on the Quadra McKenzie Plan. Speak up for a McKenzie bus lane + strong renter protections. Email council@saanich.ca or call 250 475 5501 to register to speak by noon day of.

👉Click if you agree we should tax billionaires more 👈

Billionaires pay less, so we pay more. It has to stop. Add your name to demand Canada’s wealthiest pay their fair share. share.canadianlabour.ca/s/3IGMV7xZ

Fare Free Transit for Students The UBCM passed a resolution for fare free transit for Students, Write the BC Minister of Transportation and urge them to implement this.

Use this letter template to write to the BC Minister of Transportation and your MLA to urge the provincial government to immediately implement fare-free transit for all youth and seniors, and to take concrete steps toward a completely fare-free BC!

actionnetwork.org/letters/fare...

Victoria Regional Transit Plan – handyDART Survey BC Transit is continuing to refresh the long-term vision for transit service in the Victoria region through the ongoing Victoria Regional Transit Plan. To ensure our handyDART customers have their say...

Have your say on the future of HandyDART in Victoria engage.bctransit.com/handydart_vrtp

actionnetwork.org/letters/fare...

square.link/u/VrkyC67r

Use of discount bus pass up 29%, full-fare passes down after digital fare payment launched The 30-day concession pass meant for youth and seniors is now the most popular way to travel on a bus for riders who pay their fares with Umo cards or the Umo app on their phones.

www.timescolonist.com/local-news/u...

Opinion: Federal funding cut derails hopes for better public transit At the very time when Canada’s economy is struggling, this transit funding cut will make things worse.

edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...

At the next VRTC meeting BC Transit is recommending that they approve INCREASING the cost of the Monthly Concession Pass from $45 to $55. This is the pass for teens and seniors.

Please email victoria_commission@bctransit.com before Tuesday and tell them NOT to raise the price!

VTRU Applauds BC NDP Convention Votes on Increased Transit Investment and Free Transit for Youth and Seniors The Victoria Transit Riders Union applauds delegates at the BC NDP Convention for voting to endorse two resolutions that call, respectively, for fare-free transit for youth and seniors, and for dra…

victoriatransitridersunion.com/2025/11/16/v...

The program covers teens aged 13-18 that have an address in the City of Victoria. The City pays for all eligible youth regardless of if they pick up a pass, but pays 25% of the regular fee to BC Transit. Last year 77% of youth in Victoria registered for a pass.

YouTube video by Victoria Transit Riders Union Youth Bus Pass Program - Victoria Council Nov 7th 2025

On Friday Council voted unanimously to keep the Youth Bus Pass Program in the Draft Financial Plan! Thanks to all our followers that sent letters asking for the program to be saved!

Watch here: youtu.be/M4fLCCAJqg0

Letter to the Editor today in the Times Colonist

Fare-Free And Excellent Transit For All! Public transit in Canada is heading in the wrong direction. Fight to turn it around.

Public transit in Canada is heading in the wrong direction. Fight to turn it around. harland.substack.com/p/fare-free-...

Victoria’s Draft Financial Plan proposes cutting the Youth Bus Pass Program. 70% of eligible teens use it. Cutting it would harm safety, equity and independence. Email mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca to tell them to keep it, along with Bike Valet and Neighbour Space.

Free transit for youth motion approved by CRD tranportation committee The process of getting free transit for youth across the Capital Regional District has just gotten started, with the transportation committee approving a motion staff to look into feasibility.

The process of getting free transit for youth across the CRD has just gotten started, with the transportation committee approving a motion staff to look into feasibility.

Hundreds join protest to protect Goldstream from highway expansion The demonstration was led by WSÁNEĆ leaders and environmental organizations who say the project will do more harm than good.

"Options—including... more public transit from one side of the Malahat to the other—should be explored before committing a large sum of money for a project that appears to do more harm than good." www.capitaldaily.ca/news/hundred... #yyj #bcpoli @bettertransityyj.ca @vtru.bsky.social

YouTube video by Victoria Transit Riders Union CRD discusses a Free Youth Bus Pass Program

The CRD Transportation Committee met on Oct 22, 2025 and discussed a motion to study a Region-Wide Free Youth Bus Pass Program. This is the presentation from the VRTU and the discussions by the directors. The motion was passed unanimously! youtu.be/El1nylPYIgo

Councillor @davethompsonvic.bsky.social speaks to the CRD about his motion to study a Region-Wide Free Youth Bus Pass Program. The motion was passed unanimously! 🚌 #FareFreeBC #VTRU