BC Transit’s long-awaited pilot project that will offer bus transportation to southern provincial parks, including the Chief and Shannon Falls appears to be on its way.
The seasonal Squamish Parks Service pilot project is slated to begin June 1, 2018, until Sept. 30. The dates of service have not been finalized, but are meant to coincide with the peak summer tourism season.
The bus route would connect to existing transit in Squamish, with buses would travelling down Highway 99 to link the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, Sea to Sky Gondola and Shannon Falls before looping back.
The expanded route has an estimated cost of around $135,071, with the municipality responsible for a little less than half, or $63,785.
BC Transit officials Levi Megenbir and Lisa Trottier presented the plan to District councillors on Tuesday.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman asked why the District would focus on providing transit to a private business and provincial assets, instead of enhancing the district’s core bus service.
Trottier responded that the work on the pilot was being done based on previous requests from council.
“This is a pilot service, so it is something to try out this summer and we can assess how the community feels about it, and see the uptake,” said Megenbir.
“As a council, if you felt based on what you’ve heard from the community that it isn’t something to make sense to be providing, we could definitely look at relocating those service hours,” he said.
The service is meant to encourage accessibility and reduce the number of vehicles on the road. The idea is to synchronize the schedule in a way that would allow gondola employees to use the service for work.
While the schedule is still being finalized, the proposed service would run every half-hour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with more occasional service in the early morning and evening.
Council has been discussing this type of service since March 2015.
Part of the feasibility planning also considered Alice Lake and Brohm Lake, north of Squamish, but the District and provincial park staff couldn’t agree on suitable turnarounds for buses.
Other changes to local transit in 2018 and 2019 include expanded service to Quest University and more frequent trips across the service to improve reliability.
The handyDART service, which offers door-to-door transit for people with permanent or temporary disabilities, will also be expanded this summer.
