Tofino Bus, Vancouver Island Connector service suspended indefinitely amid requests for relief
CBC News | Posted: February 5, 2021 3:51 AM | Last Updated: February 5, 2021
The company has submitted a proposal for funding to the province
Tofino Bus and the Vancouver Island Connector's intercity bus routes have been suspended indefinitely, despite the company's intention to resume the long-awaited bus service on Feb. 12.
The Victoria-based Wilson's Group of Companies, which operates the Vancouver Island routes, says it can no longer afford to keep them running.
"We had to cancel runs simply because the amount of tickets sold were not covering the cost of the run," said Samantha Wilson, brand manager for the group.
But it's the only company that offers bus transportation between certain communities on Vancouver Island.
The Vancouver Island Connector and Tofino Bus together serve 29 communities between Victoria, Nanaimo, Campbell River, Port Alberni and Tofino, and 21 First Nations communities across Vancouver Island
"We know how important it is for many of them. We are quite concerned about the health and safety risks of not running that service any longer," said Wilson.
The company is privately owned and receives no government subsidies, she says, meaning every ticket it sells helps directly pay for that service.
But the company has been hard hit by the pandemic. First closing down in March 2020, like much of the world, as governments tried to limit COVID-19 transmissions in B.C.
Service resumed for a few months during the summer. But by October, B.C. was hit by a second wave of the virus and British Columbians were told once again to avoid non-essential travel.
It forced the company to cancel daily trips with low ticket sales and by December service was suspended altogether.
"We would love nothing more than to restart but we simply cannot afford it," said Wilson.
Subsidized funding
The company has submitted a proposal to the provincial government to help it continue to provide the two routes.
The Wilson Group of Companies' proposal is for a one-year contract through B.C. Transit to resume service.
But, so far, the company hasn't received a response from the government.
In an interview on CBC's All Points West, Minister of Transportation Rob Fleming told host Kathryn Marlow the province is considering a relief package with the help of the federal government, however, he didn't commit to the Wilson Group of Companies' proposal.
'We recognize that [the motor coach industry] have been very affected by travel restrictions," said Fleming, adding that the more British Columbians heed the government's advice to stay home and avoid travel, the more it hurts the industry.
He said he's interested in chatting with the industry including the Wilson Group of Companies about how best the government can support them to survive.
"When we do come back … [from the pandemic] that's an essential part of our transportation network," he said.
But when pressed on how long those Vancouver Island communities should expect to wait before there will once again be essential, inter-city bus service in the region, Fleming would only say it is an "active discussion."
You can listen to the full interview below.