A BC Transit memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been endorsed by qathet Regional District (qRD) to expand transportation services to Saltery Bay.
At the qRD meeting on Thursday, July 25, regional directors considered a motion for proposed expansion initiatives for transit service to Saltery Bay in July 2020. The expansion initiatives also include additional service for the route to Lund, starting in July 2020, and additional service to Texada Island starting in July 2021.
In a staff report, manager of operational services Patrick Devereaux said Sunshine Coast Connector, a privately run bus company between Powell River and Langdale, has been struggling to continue its service and reached out to BC Transit and local government to aid in the continuation of the service. Devereaux said the proposal is for qRD to expand its current route to Stillwater to make a scheduled stop at Saltery Bay ferry terminal, tying in with the ferry schedule and the Coast Connector bus at Earls Cove. Coast Connector would provide bus service from Earls Cove to Langdale.
Electoral Area D director Sandy McCormick said she had some concerns about the MOU, the main one being that nothing is going to happen for an entire year. This means the extended service would start in July 2020, so for one year, the region would be without a direct bus connection to the Lower Mainland.
“That’s not good enough, given the level of concern that has been raised to us from the public,” said McCormick.
She said she would like to see ridership numbers regarding the proposed expansion of transit services at both the Lund and Texada Island routes, and an analysis of those numbers.
“I don’t know if we can ask BC Transit for those numbers, but if possible, I would like to do so,” said McCormick, who then asked what could be done to move this MOU forward.
Chair Patrick Brabazon said the existing agreement is still in effect, which provides service to Stillwater.
McCormick asked if it could be amended.
Brabazon said BC Transit pays 80 per cent of the transit cost and the regional district cannot amend the agreement on its own.
McCormick said she doesn’t want to see the door closed on the possibility of getting some kind of bus connection over the course of the next year.
City director CaroleAnn Leishman said City of Powell River mayor Dave Formosa had met with premier John Horgan and made the premier aware of this issue, so it sounds like there could be faster action on something prior to this.
City director George Doubt said looking at the report from Devereaux, the option before the regional board is preferable to the other ones in the report, such as not going ahead with anything, or delays for Lund and Texada Island.
“I don’t think any of those are things we want to do,” said Doubt. “Going ahead with this is liable to get us bus service to Saltery Bay quicker than the alternatives. The mayor of Powell River has talked to the premier to try and encourage improvement in transportation and they may well make that happen faster. If it does, then that’s a good thing.”
Brabazon said nothing in the agreement precludes improvement.
“We just have to get to the right ears and we’re working on that,” added Brabazon.
The board approved the BC Transit MOU in an effort to improve transportation to Saltery Bay.
