With Greyhound set to stop service on Vancouver Island, Tofino Bus All Island is rolling in to make sure there’s no loss of bus service on southern Vancouver Island.
Tofino Bus All Island has taken over Greyhound’s remaining southern Island routes, adding communities between Nanaimo and Victoria to a service area that was already the largest on Vancouver Island.
“It’s the latest step in our evolution as a premium service provider for residents and tourists looking to get around the entire Island,” says Tofino Bus All Island founder and president Dylan Green.
In August 2017, Greyhound Canada applied to the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board to discontinue its service between Victoria and Nanaimo, citing declining ridership as its primary reason. Tofino Bus All Island, which already operated express service between Victoria and Nanaimo, was approved to expand its service to include all the smaller communities along the route in November.
“We’ve been doing this all along,” says Green. “In 2006, when Greyhound stopped going to Tofino, we increased our schedule to make sure there was no loss of service for the communities of Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino. We did the same in 2015 when Greyhound pulled out of Port Hardy, Campbell River and Courtenay. We’re proud that we’re a local Island company, and we’re stepping up to make sure every community on the Island still has bus service.”
Though Greyhound hasn’t officially stopped its south Island service, Tofino Bus All Island Express is already operating three scheduled trips per day each way between Victoria and Nanaimo, with an extra daily trip on Fridays and Sundays. That service will increase, Green says, once Greyhound abandons the route.
Smaller south Island communities now being served by Tofino Bus All Island Express include Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, Cowichan Bay, Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith and Departure Bay. Reservations are required for Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, Chemainus and Ladysmith.
In addition to its route expansion, Tofino Bus has taken over management of the Duncan bus terminal, so Green says it’s “business as usual” for freight and ticketing services.
For Tofino Bus schedules and information on freight, fares and charter services, visit www.tofinobus.com or call 1-866-986-3466.
Background
Tofino Bus launched in 2002 with little fanfare and just a single van catering to surfers from Nanaimo and Victoria. The Island-born company has since grown from that single niche route into a thrice daily, Island-wide service. Tofino Bus now serves more than 40 communities, features an impressive fleet of luxury coaches and mini buses and employs more than 40 people year-round.
Additional background resource:
Greyhound Canada seeks to cut Victoria-Nanaimo route (Victoria Times Colonist, Aug 31, 2017)
