As Pride Month approaches, a 40-foot rainbow-coloured bus will be running on B.C. Transit routes in Greater Victoria.
The Pride Bus, a heavy-duty LFS model manufactured by the Quebec-based Nova Bus manufacturing company, is B.C. Transit’s first bus design that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, the Crown corporation said in a statement.
The in-house design was shared with the Victoria Pride Society as well as B.C. Transit’s working group on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility before it was launched.
“Pride Bus will be on the full range of routes throughout Greater Victoria for the next two months,” said B.C. Transit spokesperson Jamie Weiss, adding that on the first day, the bus operated on the 28 and 75 routes, which go from downtown to Gordon Head and the Saanich Peninsula respectively.
Featured on the bus are the chevron elements of Daniel Quasar’s Progress Pride Flag, created in 2018 and meant to represent the LGBTQ+ communities of trans people (light blue, light pink, and white), marginalized people of colour (brown, black), as well as those who have been affected by the AIDS crisis.
According to latest census statistics, the capital region is the most gender-diverse urban centre in Canada, with about 0.75% of residents identifying as transgender or non-binary.
The Pride Bus will take part in Victoria’s annual Pride parade on July 9.
“It’s a really great initiative, and one that I think we will probably take forward for many years to come,” Weiss said.
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