After years of planning, the Pender Harbour/Egmont community bus is now in the possession of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) and could be on the road within six weeks.
Director for Area A Eric Graham arranged for the bus to be brought to the SCRD Field Road office to show the other directors at last Thursday's (Feb. 27) committee meeting.
"I'm very happy with it and I'm looking forward to getting it on the road. I encourage everyone to use it because we're going to give it a trial for at least six months. If the ridership is there, we'll continue using it," Graham said.
Graham said all the credit for the bus should go to former Area A director John Rees, who lobbied for the bus and planned for its purchase with a gas-tax credit from the federal government.
Rees spent a lot of time in his six years as SCRD director applying for various grants that would bring some kind of transit to the north end of the Coast.
"I believe the community will embrace it. There's pride of ownership," Rees said.
Rees added that he plans to be on the bus's first scheduled run.
Graham has since formed a committee in the community to figure out the details and logistics of the bus, including its exact route, schedule and cost, as well as hiring a driver.
Currently, Graham said the bus will likely link Pender Harbour, Garden Bay, Egmont and Madeira Park and then travel south down to Sechelt where it will wait for a few hours and then make the trip back two times per week.
Graham said the bus will be ideal for young people and seniors who need to come to Sechelt for shopping, appointments and visiting friends.
The 20-seat, 2003 Ford bus will cost about $40,000 by the time it is on the road, all covered by a gas tax refund for Area A.
Operating costs including fuel, maintenance and hiring a driver should cost about $49,000 a year.
Rees said if the trial is successful, Area A can apply to BC Transit for a subsidy that would pay for 40 per cent of the operating costs.
For Rees, another key use for the bus will be making it available for groups in Area A to charter for their own use.
"We have all kinds of societies, organizations, teams and events and to have a local bus available to charter at cost to the community would be a real bonus," Rees said. "I think it's a win-win situation. I don't think we can go too far wrong having the bus come from federal taxation rebate, and we'll see how it goes. Who knows? Maybe we'll end up with two."
