The 15-passanger buses will make the trip to Tofino three times a week until right before the Victoria Day weekend, where they'll increase to daily trips year-round. (IslandLink Bus's website)

By Jordan Davidson

weekend trips

Regular Nanaimo to Tofino-Ucluelet bus service beginning end of January

Jan 12, 2023 | 4:36 PM

NANAIMO — A Vancouver Island bus company is filling in some service gaps by offering cross-community routes.

Island Express Bus Inc. announced Wednesday, Jan. 12 they were starting service out to Vancouver Island’s west coast beginning Jan. 30. The three and a half hour trip from Nanaimo to Ucluelet will run three times a week before ramping up to daily in May.

Owner and president Phillip Morgan said there will plenty of options available for those who want to spend the day or an entire weekend on the west coast.

“Our plan is to go out there on Thursday, back on Friday, out there on Saturday back on Sunday, and then on Monday back on Tuesday, and that is for the first three or four months after we start.”

Service will be through a 15-passenger bus, which also runs on trips to other Island communities ranging from Campbell River to Victoria.

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While surfing is a popular Tofino activity, Morgan said surfboards and bikes are becoming more difficult to safely transport.

“We used to take bicycles all the time, and this past summer we’ve completely stopped carrying them at all. Surfboards may unfortunately be in that category. We’ll have to look at that, it’s not something that’s been decided yet.”

IslandLink buses already has five daily trips down to Victoria, as well as multiple links to other communities and ferry terminals across eastern Vancouver Island. (Island Link Bus)

Morgan said they had provided this service in the past, but with other companies operating similar routes it was never a realistic option long-term.

“But when Wilson’s Transportation (Vancouver Island Connector) very recently announced they were going to suspend service, that completely changed the outlook. Since there is nobody else on the route, we decided to go ahead.”

He said the pandemic was devastating to the bus industry, and it’s difficult to tell at this point if other companies will be able to offer similar routes in the future.

But this is their plan for now, with Morgan telling NanaimoNewsNOW they are ready to make adjustments as needed.

“What we’re doing at the moment is a plan to start the service, we know we can do it well, we can do it reliably, we can do it profitably, and to keep going at it. If new circumstances arise, for example, another operator came on the route, then we’d look at it again.”

Morgan added they’ve missed just two days of service throughout the pandemic.

Information on fares, schedules and availability is on the IslandLink website. Online bookings can be made until midnight the day prior to travel.

Passengers can also pay for their tickets in cash to the driver on the day of, space permitting.

IslandLink operates up to 14 buses and carries more than 50,000 passengers a year, with their focus on connections to BC Ferries terminals along eastern Vancouver Island.

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