Sunshine Coast Transit is delaying the start of its expanded service because of an unexpected schedule change by BC Ferries.
Transit was planning to start express service every 30 minutes on Route 90 during the morning and afternoon peak periods and hourly service on Route 1, from 5 a.m. to midnight on Sept. 5.
But Sunshine Coast Regional District chief administrative officer Jan-ette Loveys told Coast Reporter this week that when BC Ferries announced in late July it would be extending the summer schedule until the Thanks-giving weekend, Transit had to change its plans.
Loveys said after talking with BC Transit, which works in partnership with the SCRD to run the local bus system, they realized going to the new schedule Sept. 5 would mean buses would only be in sync with the ferries about twice a day.
“One of the key pieces of public feedback we’ve heard is [the importance of] buses linking with ferries. It was one of the strongest public comments,” Loveys said. “Our decision [to delay] was a direct result of BC Ferries.”
Loveys said the plan now is to follow Ferries’ lead and keep the summer bus schedule in place until the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
In preparation for the service expansion, the SCRD has started taking delivery of new Vicinity model buses from Grande West Transportation.
Unifor, which includes the Canadian Auto Workers, was critical of the province’s decision to buy the buses, which are manufactured in China, for BC Transit. The union said there were “quality concerns,” but Loveys said the buses have been performing well during their break-in period.
Sunshine Coast Transit will eventually get six of the new buses. Some of the older buses in the fleet, meanwhile, are being rotated out of service for body work and new paint jobs at a Calgary facility.
The service expansion also means Sunshine Coast Transit has hired and is in the process of training new drivers.
The cost to the SCRD for this phase of the service expansion is estimated at $155,000 this year and $466,000 per year going forward. Loveys said the delayed rollout won’t change those numbers significantly, although it may mean some savings this fiscal year.
