Seamless integration of transportation services - that’s what we all want, right? Your Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) and Transportation Advisory Committee (BIMTAC) are well aware of that. So what is happening with the 257 bus service from Horseshoe Bay at the moment?
Bowen Islanders will know that the ferry schedule will change on January 2, 2018. Those who use the 257 to get to work have already noticed that Translink has changed the 257 schedule (effective on November 25) - and that the new schedule does not fit very well with the current ferry schedule. I write as Chair of the Bowen Island Ferry Advisory Committee to let people know the reason.
The FAC and BIMTAC have been concerned for some time at the apparent lack of communication between Translink and BC Ferries. We requested a meeting with both institutions at the table to discuss coordination. This took place in late October thanks to BC Ferries’ Jason Bowman, who arranged the meeting.
Here we learned from Gareth Rowlands of Translink that Translink schedule changes occur at 3 month intervals because of complex advance planning requirements. Knowing that the ferry schedule would change in early January, Translink told us that they had to choose between bringing in the schedule designed to coordinate with the ferry either one month early (late November 2017) or two months late (late February 2018). They chose the first option, to minimise the lack of coordination. Though this was not ideal from our perspective, it did seem the sensible choice. This means that when the new ferry schedule starts, the buses should coordinate exactly with the ferries.
We are still pressing hard for more satisfactory results on the occasions when ferries are slightly delayed. There have been too many incidents of the 257 pulling away just as Bowen Islanders walk out of the terminal building. We are pushing for drivers to show more discretion and we will continue to work on this. It will be helpful to us to hear from commuters and other travellers who use the 257 when this happens so that we can lobby as forcefully as possible on behalf of Bowen Islanders. Please send your comments to BIMTAC.
In the meantime, I am happy to tell you that if you call West Vancouver Blue Bus Dispatch on 604-985-3500, you may be able to get the bus to delay for up to five minutes.
