465 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

A Vancouver Island intercity bus service is scheduled to hit the road again on Easter weekend.

 

Tofino Bus, connecting Victoria, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino, will start regular service on March 29, according to the Wilson Group of Companies, which is operating the route.

 

The service will use two full-sized 56-seat motor coaches equipped with seatbelts, individual reclining seats, luggage space and washrooms.

 

John Wilson, CEO of the Wilson’s Group, said service will grow throughout the spring and summer, with Victoria-to-Tofino travel from Thursday to Sunday, and southbound routes Friday to Monday.

 

The northbound buses will also carry weekend editions of the Times Colonist.

 

“We believe this is a vital link to bridging Vancouver Island for residents and visitors,” said Wilson.

 

The company has no immediate plans to operate the service year-round or link to more communities, such as Campbell River and Port Hardy, as it recovers from losses incurred since the pandemic, he said.

 

While Tofino Bus provides the same essential service as public transit, it operates without any government subsidies that can offset high operating costs, and ridership is higher in the spring and summer months, said Wilson, adding “our team continues to work with all levels of governments to find increased supports toward vital year-round service.”

 

In 2019, Wilson’s provided 82,500 trips to 29 communities and 21 First Nations and organizations on Vancouver Island. But COVID 19 travel restrictions saw revenue on those routes drop dramatically, and financial losses for the company started to mount.

 

 

https://www.timescol...weekend-8339471

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 February 2024 - 07:05 AM.

[splashflash]

New Intercity Bus Advocacy Group

Islanders Deserves Convenient and Affordable Public Transportation

https://betterislandtransit.ca/

Better bus service would benefit tens of thousands of Island residents who cannot, should not or prefer not to drive on busy roadways, and is the most cost-effective way to reduce Island Highway traffic problems.

Victoria, BC, 26 Feb. 2024: Interregional (long-distance) public transit service is currently infrequent and expensive on Vancouver Island. For example, there are only four daily trips between Duncan and Victoria with $10 one-way fares, and only seven daily trips between Nanaimo and Duncan with $7.50 one-way fares, although that is one of British Columbia’s busiest travel corridors with tens of thousands of daily trips.

A new organization, Better Island Transit (BIT), advocates for more frequent and affordable bus service between central and southern Vancouver Island, with at least hourly service and $5 maximum fares between major cities, so a trip from Nanaimo to Victoria would cost no more than $10. It also advocates for better transit services on other provincial highways.

“Inadequate public transit is unfair and inefficient,” explains BIT President Todd Litman. “It deprives non-drivers of independent mobility, increases drivers’ stress and costs, and exacerbates traffic problems on Island roadways. Frequent and affordable interregional bus service is a quick and cost-effective solution to many transportation problems.”

The poor state of Vancouver Island’s public transport became the butt of jokes last year when contestants in BBC’s Race Across the World discovered how difficult it is to travel from Victoria to Port Hardy without a car (“BBC reality show contestants dumbfounded by British Columbia's poor public transit”). However, this lack of public transit is not a joke for tens of thousands of Island residents who cannot, should not, or prefer not to drive on busy highways.

[Nparker]

Government has such a stellar record in regard to Vancouver Island public transportation, let's give them a crack at "affordable" inter-city bus service. 

Edited by Nparker, 28 February 2024 - 08:17 PM.

[splashflash]

Nice logo though

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[Nparker]

Those passengers look like they are being held captive on that bus.

[splashflash]

These 1970s and 80s GMC buses were called New Look but better known as Fishbowls. The circular front window above the grill gril invited the moniker but surely the thought of captive passengers delivered that name as well.

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Edited by splashflash, 28 February 2024 - 09:46 PM.