BC Transit and the Sunshine Coast Connector are collaborating to bring bus service from Lund to Langdale, so riders can make a connection to Vancouver.
The new service, slated to begin June 28, will involve paratransit buses that operate in qathet Regional District (qRD), and the Sunshine Coast Connector, which is a private company that operates out of Sechelt. Sunshine Coast Connector previously operated the bus service from Powell River to the lower coast but scaled back service due to economics.
Speaking to the qRD committee of the whole meeting on May 13, Rob Ringma, senior manager, government relations, for BC Transit, outlined the change in service. He said there is an expansion on route 12, south of Powell River, and BC Transit is looking to implement two trips a day to the Saltery Bay BC Ferries terminal. He said currently, riders need to call in and book their trips.
“I’m happy to say that we managed to find a way, working with the Sunshine Coast Connector, to provide those two trips per day to Saltery Bay that will align with the BC Ferries schedule and align with the Sunshine Coast Connector on the Earls Cove side,” said Ringma. “That schedule will be in place starting June 28 this year and running through until March 31, 2022, which is the final BC Ferries schedule that we have right now. Once BC Ferries puts out its next schedule, obviously, we’ll continue the service and just plan around any service changes.”
Ringma said BC Transit wanted to make sure people in Lund could make their way to BC Ferries, so he was happy to say the bus service from Lund, which is route 14, has been aligned with route 12.
The change in service was an involved process, according to Ringma.
“This took quite a bit of work and a lot of collaboration, but in my perspective it’s a great public-private partnership to be able to provide this service,” said Ringma. “It’s a quick fix from a regional perspective to be able to provide an option for people living in the regional district to get onto the Sunshine Coast and Langdale.”
Sunshine Coast Connector operations manager Dmitry Tyunin said BC transit will pick up people from Lund and Powell River and bring them to Saltery Bay ferry terminal for the 11:45 am ferry sailing, and the Sunshine Coast Connector bus will meet these people at Earls Cove ferry terminal for 12:40 pm departure to Langdale.
For the trip to Powell River and Lund from Langdale, the Sunshine Coast Connector bus will drop off people at Earls Cove ferry terminal for the 12:55 pm sailing to Saltery Bay and BC transit will pick them up at 2:10 pm for departure at Saltery Bay for Powell River and Lund.
Service will be year-round
Tyunin said the service will operate five days a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, year-round.
“It’s going to be excellent for people, for tourists and for the community,” said Tyunin. “Two years ago, I started to make those proposals and finally it happened. It is going to be very interesting for people. People can now make plans and make appointments.”
Tyunin said the price for ridership on the Sunshine Coast Connector will be lowered by about 20 per cent because the bus does not have to make the ferry trip to Powell River to pick up passengers.
People can get more details on departure times from both the BC Transit website at bctransit.com/powell-river/home, and from the Sunshine Coast Connector website at sunshinecoastconnector.ca, plus the company’s Facebook page.
