The Victoria Day weekend typically marks the beginning of the Sunshine Coast’s busiest travel season, and this year residents and visitors have a couple of new options.
The bus company Sunshine Coast Connector was set to start regular Powell River – Vancouver runs on May 19, and the passenger ferry service Pacific Ferries is eyeing a new 72-passenger vessel as it readies for a busy summer and a possible expansion in the future.
Linda Feuerhelm of Pacific Ferries told Coast Reporter the second boat they’re looking at is undergoing Transport Canada certifications, and modifications to the seating to match the aircraft-type seats used in the Coastal Clipper. It will also include a key amenity the company’s current ferry lacks -– a washroom.
According to Feuerhelm, Pacific’s most popular run remains the 5:15 p.m. out of Horseshoe Bay, which is aimed mainly at commuters.
“That’s been our number one run,” she said. “And then we’ve built on to that, so it’s no surprise at this point that that’s the run that’s exceeding our expectations.”
Pacific Ferries encourages reserving in advance, and the company is now exploring the idea of online ticketing with Share There, and steering passengers interested in ride-sharing to and from Gibsons Harbour toward that company’s service.
“We wanted to use somebody who is local, and we wanted to promote something on the Sunshine Coast ... I love doing things with local [businesses],” said Feuerhelm.
Scheduled service on weekends is a goal that’s still on the horizon, but the company is doing a lot of charters and some special events, including a successful Mother’s Day outing organized with retailers in Gibsons Landing.
“Our focus right now is on Monday to Friday,” she said, adding that a 7:30 or 7:45 a.m. sailing out of Gibsons, possibly to downtown Vancouver, is the next priority.
Sunshine Coast Connector, meanwhile, is concentrating its service around the weekends to start. Their buses will make a single round trip between Powell River and Vancouver on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
According to the company’s Dmitry Tyunin, they’ve arranged reservations to ensure the bus gets on the scheduled ferry, and bus fares will include the ferry fare for riders.
The new bus company also has a second route planned, running between the Earls Cove and Langdale ferry terminals seven days a week. Tyunin said they hope to have it up and running on May 26. He said the passengers they hope to attract with that route are people needing to go from ferry to ferry, or from the Pender Harbour area to work or appointments further down the coast. They’ll make four runs a day to start.
“If the ferry is late,” said Tyunin, “it’s very important to pick up people and connect people for the ferry. The timetable [of the Earls Cove – Langdale route] will be subject to the ferry.”
He said most of the interest so far is coming from the Powell River area, where a privately run bus service can be the only practical link to the Lower Mainland for people who don’t drive.
