If implemented, a public transit system for the Sea to Sky Corridor would initially cost about $3.3 million to meet an estimated daily demand of 575 riders, according to a new study from BC Transit.
About $1.9 million would be funded by local municipalities, while the province would foot the rest of the bill.
While discussion about transit in the corridor is by no means new, the numbers outlined in the Sea to Sky Corridor Regional Transit Study seem to represent one of the more concrete, detailed proposals in recent memory.
For instance, it’s believed a total of eight buses would be needed to kick off the service. Seven buses would serve routes connecting Whistler, Squamish, and Metro Vancouver. One bus would shuttle between Pemberton and Whistler.
The study estimates there’d be 300 daily riders from Squamish to Metro Vancouver. This was calculated using census data and commuter statistics.
About 175 daily riders are estimated between Whistler and Squamish, while it’s thought 100 passengers will hitch rides between Pemberton and Whistler.
The next step required is for municipalities in the Sea to Sky corridor to form a governance and funding model for the transportation recommendations.
***CORRECTION - Please note this story has been updated to reflect the following change. Three-hundred daily riders, not trips would occur between Squamish and Metro Vancouver. The same applies with respect to trips between Whistler and Squamish, as well as Pemberton and Whistler.
