August 2017 Pilot Project for Hornby Transit

In 2017,  Daniel Arbour and Karen Ross of the Hornby island Community Economic Enhancement Corporation met with Gord Campbell from the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre and collaborated to bring public transportation to Hornby Island. 

With a simple phone call, a retired airport shuttle was purchased.  It was being sold from it's current owner in the Lower Mainland.  Gord and Allison Campbell went to Vancouver, inspected the bus, and brought it back to Hornby Island.

Once the wheels were in motion, the first step was paying for the bus, this was done with some assistance from a grant from the Hornby Community Fund and an injection of funds from HICEEC.  In this first year, operations were entirely paid for by a group of local businesses. These businesses “bought a bus stop”. The bus had hourly service,  with a midday gap, basically on the main road, from the Ferry to Ford Cove Harbour. 

Many thanks to our generous 2017 sponsors, without them there would be no bus: 

Ford Cove Store  

Ford Cove Harbour Authority 

Coop Store  (double sponsors)

Donna Tuele at Royal LePage Realty 

 Hornby Island Residents & Ratepayers Association  

Isla de Lerena Vineyard & Hornby Island Bakery & Pizzeria 

Bradsdadsland Campground

 Supported by: HomegrownSite.com 

Hornby Island Community Economic Enhancement Corporation 

 Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Society  

Hornby Island Community Fund 

 With over 2000 riders in a 31 day pilot project, from August 3/17 to Sept. 2/17, the local appetite for bus service was apparent. The service was used for site seeing, island appointments, shopping of all kinds, to get to work, for leaving the car behind while having a few drinks at local drinking establishments, and simply for the fun of it. 

The bus went to the Fall Fair and was a big hit in the parade. It provided a greener alternative than driving independent cars, supports the services offered by a local non-profit society, provided an affordable option for transport, and offered a ride in place of hitch-hiking for many. 

We loved having an Island Bus and are excited that in 2018 it will be in operation for the whole summer (July & August).