INSIDE

2004 In Review
Blue Heron Express

By Cheryl Fitzgerald

Eeyowza! The Blue Heron Express, the Point Roberts community van has traveled a long way this past year.

Our ridership increases dramatically as community awareness of this service grows. In our first year of service we drove a total of 38 trips. In this past year of 2004, we’ve driven over 600 trips, and the year isn’t over yet! By the beginning of 2005, I estimate we will have made 700 trips. This sounds pretty exciting, until you remember that our goal, set by the WTA back in 2003 was two trips a day, six days a week. However, in view of the needs of our community, the WTA is now going to revise this standard, normally expected of a full service route bus. What the new standard will be is still a mystery, to be unveiled at the next drivers’ committee meeting sometime in January 2005.

A heartfelt thank you to all our volunteer drivers and passengers who have taken advantage of our service. Everyone involved with the van has helped enrich the community, whether driver or rider. We have come a long way towards meeting the needs of seniors and kids, “stuck-at-homes,” and non-drivers.

I encourage everyone to use the Blue Heron Express for your public transportation needs, keeping the following guidelines in mind:

• Schedule your trip well in advance: a month is great, a week is good, two days is tight, overnight is nearly impossible.
• Parents! Your kids can use the van to get home from after school activities in Blaine. Kevin Teng is the student van schedule coordinator. He can help your kids schedule the van to meet their after school needs.
• If you have an appointment in Bellingham, and want to use the van to get there, call the van to reserve a trip as soon as you get your appointment.
• Try to get others of like mind to travel to your destination with you, so that we have a group traveling together. For instance, if you want to go to the Arts & Crafts Fair in (you name the town in Whatcom County), get your friends or associates to go with you, and make a party of it.
• Remember: until the powers that be make a major policy change, the only destinations in Canada we are permitted are in Tsawwassen. We cannot drop or pick you up at the ferry terminal, the Vancouver airport, any bus stop in Tsawwassen, Ladner, Delta, Surrey or White Rock, or destinations in any other local suburban area.

I hope these guidelines will help you in making your future travel plans. I look forward to hearing from you, and traveling with you on the Blue Heron Express!

May we all have a happy and gracious year!