Youth sports teams on the southern Sunshine Coast can now travel for free on Route 3 between Horse-shoe Bay and Langdale.
Announced in late October, the discount took effect last weekend with the introduction of a new voucher program, BC Ferries public affairs manager Darin Guenette said Monday.
“Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) administers this program and distributes these vouchers to eligible sports teams. The first new travel vouchers were used Saturday, Jan. 10 by a youth hockey team,” Guenette said.
“This means that there are now discounts in place for both eligible school event and youth sports travel purposes on Route 3. School District 46 coordinates the voucher distribution for eligible school event travel and the SCRD does so for youth sports travel.”
The same two discounts are in place for northern Sunshine Coast youths travelling on Route 3. School District 47 administers both voucher programs.
Both discounts are also in effect on Route 7 between Earls Cove and Saltery Bay, but only for northern Sunshine Coast customers, “the idea being that eligible Powell River region students and athletes who need to travel to Metro Vancouver will need to use both Route 7 and 3 in travelling to their event and will thus receive vouchers from School District 47 for both routes,” Guenette explained.
“To be clear,” he added, “there is no discount available for southern Sunshine Coast youth to travel to or from the northern Sunshine Coast, as the original purpose of the discounts was to provide assistance with these school and sport customers who need to go to Metro Vancouver.”
The 100 per cent discount applies only to the student and youth sport team passengers, not accompanying adults or vehicles.
Longtime southern Sunshine Coast ferry advisory committee member Jakob Knaus, who lobbied for years to have the student discount extended to youth sports teams, called the new program “a welcome financial relief for families with sports-loving youngsters.”
