“Use it or lose it,” is van proponents’ cry

By Meg Olson

Shannon Tomsen, administrator of the Blue Heron Bus community van program, is hopeful their June 1 application to the Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) will allow the volunteer-run program to continue. Its continued success, though, requires more than the county providing a vehicle, fuel and insurance. “We need more volunteers, more drivers, more people to help with the administration,” Tomsen said. “We also need more riders.”

With volunteer drivers the van currently offers twice-weekly trips to the swimming pool in Tsawwassen with a shopping stop, three Bellingham trips a week and daily service to Blaine in late afternoon. The Blaine trips were organized to replace the turnout bus eliminated by the school district and thus allow local students to continue participation in after-school programs like sports or music. “We can really create our own schedule as long as everyone on the Point has equal access and there is a willing driver who has completed the four-hour mandatory training,” Tomsen said.

The local community van is one of four the WTA has made available and to keep it running Tomsen said they need to demonstrate to the county a long-term commitment to using the van: this means a steady flow of riders and an adequate number of drivers to keep them moving.

“We’re kind of hamstrung compared with other organizations running the vans because we go through Canada which means drivers can’t be paid. “I think if we paid people $10 or $20 to drive to Bellingham more people would be involved,” Tomsen said. If they could charge riders a small fee like a regular bus, she added, they would have funds to pay the drivers.

In the new application to retain the van Tomsen said they were using different criteria to show the community’s need for the service. “What happened with the first proposal was we said we would have a certain number of riders per year and a certain number of trips and we have not ever come close to those goals,” she said. “What we’re doing this time is we’re looking at rider miles. We’ve added how many miles we’re moving these people.” The WTA approved using the new criterion last year.
To attract more riders Tomsen said they were considering adding home pickup, rather than a departure from the community center. They have also added two NEXUS-only trips to Bellingham. They are also open to suggestions about new destinations. “We can accommodate people with different destinations as long as we have enough lead time,” Tomsen said, but with certain limitations. “We’re not a taxi. We aren’t going to drive you to the airport at 5 a.m.”

Tomsen said they will also be asking the county to mothball the Point’s other arm of public transportation, the twice-weekly Safety Net wheelchair-accessible service to Bellingham. “Nobody in a wheelchair has ever taken that vehicle,” Tomsen said, and the more flexible community van program could absorb the Safety Net riders. “If we don’t meet our requirements we get the Safety Net vehicle back the next month,” she said.

The WTA will have a decision on whether the Point will get to keep the community van by June 30, but Tomsen said Point Roberts needs to use it, or lose it. “I just don’t know if we’ll be able to keep it in the long run,” she said. “There needs to be more community involvement.”

Reservations are needed to ride the Blue Heron, and must be made at 945-2844, 24 hours in advance. The van is available for special events if a driver is available. A two week lead time is needed to schedule a trip.

Those wanting to support the program in another way, call for information about how to make donations or help with program administration. “Ride, volunteer and donate, in that order,” Tomsen said.