Through its first year of operation, the Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan has been a success, according to Transportation Minister Claire Trevena.

The service has helped approximately 5,000 people commute from town to town across the north.

“They really needed it, it’s safe, affordable, and reliable, and women and teenage girls particularly are benefiting from this,” says Trevena.

“We have an addition to the BC Transit service. We’ve got community vehicles linking communities and a further 9,000 [people] using that.”

The main group Trevena identified as benefiting is women and teenage girls, she explains.

“Women and teenage girls are definitely using this,” she says.

“We’re seeing that people feel safe using it, we know that people can afford to use it, it’s a five dollar ticket, so we are ensuring that people can afford to use it.”

Enhancements and expansion could soon be on the horizon for the service.

Trevena notes larger buses and more community vehicles are on the table when the service does see improvements.