Officials and supporters were in a party mood, despite threatening weather, on Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Cowichan Lake area’s main bus stop on South Shore Road.
They were celebrating 25 years of bus service to Duncan. To newcomers, it might seem natural that a rural area some 30 km west of the Trans Canada Highway might need connecting to the economic and service hub of the Cowichan Valley but acquiring the bus took plenty of effort.
The Lake News of Sept. 1, 1993 tells the tale: “Bus is a reality!” “It arrived on time” were the headlines on the story in the paper.
“At 12:40 noon on Thursday the first ever official CVRD transit bus from Duncan to Lake Cowichan stopped at the municipal office to hand clapping from dignitaries and citizens.
“There were speeches and a huge cake to honour the event and a banner held across the north lane of the road. The bus was supposed to break the banner but it broke prematurely. There were cheers anyway.
“It’s a history breaking day for Lake Cowichan,” said Alice Pedersen, who, with her husband, Iver, ran the Stage Lines bus and delivery service in 1960.
“A crowd of people were on hand for the occasion. More important than the people was the bus itself. A neat compact brand new white 20 seat bus complete with easy access ramp for wheelchairs. The ramp lowers to the ground so access is extremely easy.
“The impetus for the bus service originated in Lake Cowichan. It was one of the main concerns of the economic development committee. In 1989, a service was instituted with a bus loaned by Fletcher Challenge, which ran two days a week, at the company’s expense.”
But Lake people knew that wouldn’t last forever.
“The economic development committee, under chairman Pat Foster, brought the need for a bus to council,” said Mayor Earle Darling, at the official opening.
The service was eagerly awaited.
In July 1993, the paper announced that the bus was expected to provide three daily trips in and out of Duncan, except Sunday.
By Aug. 25, excitement was growing.
“The bus is coming!” shouted The Lake News.
“After months, if not years of waiting, everything is organized and a daily service will start this week. The bus will be free for the first three days. The new service will start at Honeymoon Bay and take passengers to Duncan where they can catch buses serving the other areas of the Valley. Youbou passengers will be driven from Youbou by taxi Monday through Saturday, with the early morning taxi not running on Saturdays. The bus terminal will be on Canada Avenue at the city centre. From the time table, it would appear that most buses link with this location.”
Another note from that time commented on the funding of the buses.
“The federal government announced last Thursday that it will contribute $150,000 to BC Transit to purchase three accessible, low-floor, medium duty buses to link communities in the Cowichan Valley area…The buses provide seating for 18 passengers and accommodation for two wheelchairs. The balance of the purchase and operating costs will be covered by transit fares, the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and BC Transit.”
In the past quarter century, there have been changes made to the way the Cowichan Lake district is served by the bus service. A pair of feeder buses now connect Honeymoon Bay and Youbou to the main bus at Lake Cowichan.
An extra weekday express bus travels to Cowichan Commons, connecting the Lake with that mall, but the main, more circuitous route also continues to be popular, serving passengers along Cowichan Lake Road, then Menzies to Gibbins Road and the hospital, even going by Cliffs Road and Khowhemun School before arriving in downtown Duncan.