A bus service that runs between Victoria and Campbell River on the east coast of the Island says it does not expect to expand its schedule or fleet despite news that Tofino Bus is likely to suspend its Victoria-Tofino service between January and May.
IslandLinkBus, which operates as many as 14 buses along the east coast, connecting communities between Campbell River and Victoria, said it doesn’t expect to change its operating plans.
Owner Phillip Morgan said the routes Tofino Bus serves are not something IslandLink typically does year-round. He said they have only run to the west coast of the Island in the summer.
Morgan said IslandLinkBus, which also operates IslandExpressBus, has been in business for 24 years and he’s used to seeing others drop out of the market.
“We are accustomed to our competition curtailing, cancelling or abandoning their services on Vancouver Island,” he said, noting they have continued to work while Laidlaw, Greyhound, Tofino Bus and now Wilson’s have experienced difficulty. “None of this [fazes] us, as we have grown every year since we started — COVID excepted.”
IslandLink says it carries just over 50,000 passengers a year, and is the only scheduled bus service available in many locations.
“Essentially, by sticking to our business plan and by providing the service our customers want and need, we have prospered,” Morgan said.
Wilson’s Transportation announced Thursday that it would suspend its Tofino Bus operations starting in January as a result of heavy financial losses.
Tofino Bus, which also operates the Vancouver Island Connector between Nanaimo and Campbell River, will stop service Jan. 3 and resume in May.
In March last year, Tofino Bus got $1.15 million in provincial help to maintain essential operations until the end of March 2022. Wilson said the provincial grant helped get them to the high season when ticket sales started paying the bills.
The province’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has said it’s reviewing information provided by Wilson’s and will look for a workable solution.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: letters@timescolonist.com
