Keith Porteous hopes to provide a shuttle service on Denman Island and a ferry link for Hornby Island travellers with a vehicle called the Wrong Bus.
The name relates to a goal to switch to electric buses. Porteous envisions operating a zero emission vehicle within three years.
But the Denman resident needs help to make the service happen.
He’s hoping for $20,000 from the regional district for two years, and a matching commitment from BC Ferries.
“We need 40 grand a year to run the system, even if we’re just focussing on the summer months,” Porteous said, noting fuel, maintenance and other costs. “Area A, which includes Denman and Hornby, is paying $300,000 a year in transit taxes. Cumberland pays 100 grand a year. They get 11 buses a day. We get half the service, which is not even connected to Hornby and Denman.”
Pending approval from the board of directors, the regional district will include $15,000 in the next budget to pilot a cross-Denman bus initiative. Directors approved the expense at committee of the whole March 10.
“We’re trying to encourage transit use,” Area A director Daniel Arbour said. “It’s always a balance between having regular service in the high-density corridor between Cumberland and the hospital, and at the same time providing connectivity to more remote or under-serviced areas.”
For years, Hornby and Denman residents have paid into the transit service, even though buses don’t run on the islands. A pilot summer bus service that started on Hornby in 2017 is in its final year this summer.
“This year, we put in a request to pilot a Denman connector in the summer as well,” Arbour said. “There’s a lot of ferry traffic, and there’s a lot of people travelling between Buckley Bay and Hornby.”
He said the $15,000 would allow the Wrong Bus to operate about a month. He hopes BC Ferries will match the funds.
“We’re having that conversation with them,” Arbour said.
The proposed 2020 – 2024 financial plan for transit in the Comox Valley includes $20,000 this year to support the Hornby bus project.
“On Hornby, the businesses have paid a lot to match the funds from the regional district,” Arbour said. “There’s a good $10,000 or $12,000 that comes in sponsorships. On Denman, there’s not as many businesses. That’s why we think BC Ferries would be a great partner for that. They have a lot of sailing waits, and maybe that (service) could help mitigate that in the high period.”
Most respondents in a survey identified a cross Denman bus connection as the most important factor to ride the Hornby Bus.
“Right now, they’re essentially Island-locked,” Porteous said.
Artist Poete Maudit painted the design on the bus, which Porteous said will be “a mobile art gallery” as well as a service and a means of reducing congestion.
“It’s about local culture,” he said. “This bus is going to be a reflection of the character of our community.”