Transit users looking to get to and from Pemberton at night can breath a sigh of relief, as an additional nighttime run will be added to the 99 Pemberton Commuter, which connects Whistler and Pemberton.
"The evening run was identified as the biggest gap or the biggest hole in our system right now, so that's what (we) went with," said Village of Pemberton (VOP) Mayor Mike Richman.
The new run will depart the Gondola Transit Exchange in Whistler at 9:15 p.m. for Pemberton and depart the Pemberton Hotel at 9:50 p.m. to return to Whistler and will start June 3. It will serve Pemberton residents who work late in Whistler, and could help alleviate issues related to drinking and driving, said Richman.
The additional changes come after a public survey administered by BC Transit in February.
According to Levi Megenbir—a senior transit planner with BC Transit—the survey received nearly 200 responses, with the majority of people calling for a nighttime transit option between Whistler and Pemberton.
The need for the change is especially urgent given the loss of Greyhound bus service, he said.
"There used to be some supplemental service along this corridor provided by Greyhound, and since they have pulled out that has reduced options for residents using any mode other than a single-occupancy vehicle," said Megenbir.
Yet despite the change, there is still thought to be a hole in transit service between Whistler and Pemberton.
Buses currently leave Whistler at 6:20 and 7:40 a.m. and 4:45 and 6:05 p.m., and some are calling for a mid-afternoon run.
"I thought when they were adding busses that they would be adding more than just a night bus," said Lindsay McAllister, in a Facebook message to Pique. "There is still no way into Whistler mid-day ... If I go in at 8:20 (a.m.), I still don't have a way back till 4:45 p.m."
Megenbir said the transit authority recognizes there is strong demand for such a run. "If we were looking to get future expansion that is where we would be looking to fill in the gaps," he said. "There's nothing on the books currently, but through this process, we definitely identified that (a) mid-day trip would likely be the next priority for improving regional and interregional service between Pemberton and Whistler."
Richman said that the long-awaited regional transportation system would help alleviate the issue. It would put eight buses into operation and offer a total of six round trips between Mount Currie and Whistler a day. "I'm certain that there will be (a bus) in mid afternoon because that's definitely a big hole," said Richman. "And obviously our goal is to build (the system) and continue adding buses as the needs grow."
Yet just when Sea to Sky residents will see the system in place remains unclear, as the province has yet to respond to a proposal and funding model put forward by the stakeholders at the end of 2018.
Richman said that the stakeholder communities will be meeting with the province regarding their proposal.
"We're going to be meeting with the Ministry of Transportation very shortly and hopefully there will be some news out of that," he said.
