With spring officially in the air, Tofino Bus is reigniting its on-again, off-again relationship with the West Coast.
The Wilson’s Group of Companies has announced the prodigal return of the Tofino Bus with service from Victoria - Tofino expected to begin on Easter Weekend.
“We believe this is a vital link to bridging Vancouver Island for residents and visitors,” Wilson’s Group President and CEO John Wilson said through a recent media release.
“Our team continues to work with governments at all levels to find increased supports towards vital year-round service, but for now, we will have buses hitting the roads starting Friday, March 29 for as long as the market allows us.”
Wilson’s has been in operation since 1962 and the company purchased Tofino Bus from Dylan Green in 2018, providing 82,500 trips to about twenty-nine communities the following year, but business was annihilated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Citing decreasing ridership and increasing costs, Wilson’s unexpectedly cancelled its bus service to Tofino - Ucluelet in late 2022, explaining the route would return in the spring of 2023 and that the financial situation could not support year-round operations.
That move left local officials scrambling for solutions and IslandLink launched a Nanaimo-Tofino service to fill the void, finding enough success to double down on that service in May of 2023.
Tofino Bus operated on a limited service over the winter with once-a-month departures.
Tickets for the newly launched service are expected to be available at viconnector.com by March 16.
Wilson’s recent announcement suggests the Tofino Bus service will grow through the spring and summer months with the initial Victoria to Tofino routes running from Thursday - Sunday and Tofino to Victoria routes running from Friday - Monday.
”We are still finding our way out the other side of the pandemic and, with the support of our island communities, we are bringing back and strengthening key services like the Tofino Bus,” Wilson said. “We truly do live in one of the most special places in the world and we look forward to continuing to serve and give back to help connect these communities for many years to come.”
The announcement adds that the buses are full sized motor coaches with seat belts, individual reclining seats, luggage space and washrooms.
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