Editor's note: This letter has been sent to the chair and board of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. It was copied to The Chief for publication.
We have transit service both ways between Squamish and Pemberton every morning, but no one uses it.
They don't use it because each trip involves two buses. Each bus belongs to a different route, run by a different municipality, with a different printed schedule. People don't know that these trips exist.
In the early afternoon a commuter bus leaves Squamish for Whistler. It spends a few hours as a Whistler Transit bus before it returns to Squamish. It has enough time to continue to Pemberton and Mount Currie before returning to Squamish.
In the evening a commuter bus leaves Squamish for Whistler. It spends a few hours as a Whistler Transit bus before it returns to Squamish. It has enough time to continue to Pemberton and Mount Currie before returning to Squamish.
By combining the two commuter services in the morning and extending the Squamish Commuter in the afternoon and evening, we would have two return trips in each direction every day. We would also have the much-asked-for evening bus from Whistler to Pemberton.
Buses would leave Pemberton for Squamish three times each day. Buses would leave Squamish for Pemberton three times each day. This is possible by adding only four hours of service to the existing Squamish Commuter schedule.
This seems like an idea which should have been brought forward by the professionals at B.C. Transit or Pacific Westeron (PW) Transportation. If it had been adopted in 2008, when the Squamish Commuter began year-round service, we would not be facing the loss of commuter service or wondering where to start regional transit service.Does it really make sense to let the Squamish Commuter service end? Does it really make sense to prevent the creation of a regional transit service, which could be started tomorrow with the addition of four service hours to an existing system?
It seems that PW Transportation and B.C. Transit missed a simple solution which should have been quite evident to them. Perhaps they can be generous in supporting this plan now.
Loss of the Squamish Commuter will mean that almost 100 hours of employment each week will be lost by casual and part-time bus drivers. Drivers who live in Squamish will be driving their cars to Whistler more often instead of riding a bus.
B.C. Transit and PW Transportation should correct their oversight by going out of their way to work with the SLRD and the affected municipalities to avoid the loss of the Squamish Commuter and create a platform to build regional transit on.
The larger service area and the increased variety of trips will mean increased fare revenue and decreased municipal subsidy. Commuters, shoppers, those seeking medical attention, tourists and others will find reasons to use a reliable, affordable, well-promoted transit service.Murray GambleSquamish
