Do you depend on public transit to get around?
If so, there are some upcoming schedule changes to Whistler's bus routes that you'll want to keep in mind: beginning on Tuesday, April 3, regular seasonal service changes will see reduced transit service to accommodate the lower ridership levels typically seen in the spring, summer and fall.
In order to ease the transition, buses will run on the Late Winter Extra Service Schedule between April 3 and Sunday, April 22.
Also ending on Monday, April 2, will be the complimentary shuttle service on route 7 Staff Housing that runs between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. during the winter. Although the route will remain running with reduced hours, it will require fare.
More changes are set to come into effect on Monday, April 23, when the official spring/summer/fall schedule starts up. Included in these changes are the suspension of the route 4 Marketplace Shuttle until mid-November.
However, the 1,764 additional service hours new to Whistler's spring/summer/fall schedule this year will allow Whistler Transit to provide expanded summer service from June 15 to September 16, beginning two weeks earlier and ending two weeks later than in previous years.
The expanded service includes complimentary service on weekends and holiday Mondays, which means there 14 weekends of free transit, up from the 10 that were offered last year. Later this summer, the route 8 Lost Lake free shuttle will also return from mid-June through Labour Day.
"The changes will mean reduced seasonal service on all bus routes at the time of year when ridership is low, allowing the Whistler Transit System to offer higher service levels during the busier summer and winter seasons," explained BC Transit and the Resort Municipality of Whistler in a joint release.
The seasonal service schedule will remain in effect until Dec. 14.
For more details, pick up a Rider's Guide on board the bus, call 604-932-4020, or visit bctransit.com/whistler to view schedules and maps, and to use the online Trip Planner.
