Friday, March 29, 2024

Vancouver Island’s only intercity bus to Tofino returns after a slow off-season

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May the 4th might be Star Wars Day, but it is also now the day that marks the return of the only bus that will get tourists and island locals out to Tofino.

Wilson’s Transportation made the tough call to cancel their Tofino bus’s winter trips in January of this year.

John Wilson, President, and CEO of The Wilson’s Group of Companies, which took over operations of Tofino bus pre-pandemic, in 2018, said in January that they know people rely on their buses’ services and the company did not make the decision lightly.

“We are very concerned about the safety of the people who rely on our service. Sadly, we have no other options,” said Wilson at the time.

With the Tofino Bus’s service severed until spring, Vancouver Island lost its only inter-municipality bus, which provided much-needed transportation to 29 communities and 21 First Nations communities.

Wilson said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership has been down by 95% on the inter-municipality routes and had not yet recovered. 

“Revenue made during our peak season just simply isn’t enough to sustain the service 12 months of the year,” says Samantha Wilson-Newton, Brand Manager for The Wilson’s Group of Companies.

The bus’s services will re-launch on May 4th and commuters will be able to hop the bus any day between Thursday and Monday. 

Wilson’s Transportation hopes to have the service back to a seven day schedule by June.

“We expect to see lower passenger counts to start, however, we typically see a rise around the May long weekend which lasts throughout most of the summer,” says Wilson-Newton. 

“We will of course continue to monitor the load demands and add more runs as needed”.

Going forward, the Tofino bus will only operate between May and October to help alleviate financial struggles taken on in the off-season.

“We are excited to welcome passengers back on board and provide connection to those who need services such as ours.”

Wilson’s Vancouver Island Connector and Tofino bus websites list schedules and fares for travellers convenience. 

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Curtis Blandy
curtis@victoriabuzz.com

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