YVR-Whistler Express ceases operations
Whistler – Perimeter Transportation this week abruptly ceased operating its long-running shuttle service between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Whistler.
In a terse notice posted on the company’s website, Perimeter officials wrote, “Perimeter regrets to announce that we will cease operation of the Whistler Express service between Whistler and Vancouver Airport effective end of day Friday, Nov. 21.”
The notice went on to say that the company, which also has operations in the Vancouver area, would continue to operate charter service and lease out its vans, mini-coaches and full-sized buses.
The reasons behind the move aren’t clear. Telephone messages left with company officials, including President Mike Cafferky, were not returned.
However, a Perimeter driver, who said he was served his layoff notice earlier in the week, said his understanding is that a B.C. Supreme Court ruling in a legal dispute involving Perimeter and YVR had gone against the company, forcing it to shut down the service. He could not provide specifics about the case.
Jason Bechard also said he believed the company employed 15 full-time and “eight or 10” part-time drivers on the service, most of them living in either Whistler or Squamish. He said that while some may have been surprised by the news, he and a few others were not.
“Those of us that followed the court dealings kind of expected it. For a lot of us, the whole process seemed to accelerate really fast,” Bechard said.
“I enjoyed the job,” said Bechard, who drove for Perimeter for the past three summers. “We had a chance to interact with customers, tell stories about local politics, sights, area history, for the two hours that we were with them.”
Perimeter has operated the service in the corridor for 25 years. In October 2007, however, YVR officials announced that they had chosen a rival company, Pacific Coach Lines (PCL), as the official carrier between the two destinations.
Operating from a different location at YVR, however, Perimeter continued to operate the Whistler service. Its most recent marketing materials stated that Perimeter planned to kick off its winter service between YVR and Whistler on Dec. 13 with 11 northbound and 10 southbound shuttles per day.
About a year ago, Perimeter shuttle buses began doing regular pick-ups and drop-offs at the Squamish Adventure Centre, with service between Squamish and YVR.
http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/20081121/WHISTLER01/311219871/1030/whistler
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You got it, exactly !
That's EXACTLY what Vancouver is! Nickinaca undertsands why there are no direct flights from Vancouver to Paris, Zurich, Rome, Copenhagen, or to Tahiti, Melbourne - even though we do have Sydney and Auckland. There is no scheduled sevice to Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta, or Mazatlan, except for winter charters. Dubai, the "New Hong Kong" of the world, has its airline, Emirates flying not only to Toronto, but even to Manchester England, with Seattle coming up soon. Vancouver? Forget it? Calgary, Edmonton, and possibly SanFrancisco are Vancouver's version of "cosmopolitan! There you have it. Bushwackville on the Fraser!
That's exactly it
Due to the fact that the voter base is in Eastern Canada, Ottawa's bilateral regulations favour everything going in and out of Montreal and Toronto - at the expense of other Canadian cities, especially the major Western hub, Vancouver. Of course, under the "Blue Sky" agreement currently underway between Ottawa and the European Union, which also includes opening up trade and labour market exchange laws, this will change things to a large degree. It is also importanto to remember that much as Vancouver may seem like a busting-at-the seams boom town ready to take on the world, it is really relatively small by world standards at just over 2 million people. 
Nonetheless, it is being deprived of a number of major European destinations, themost important one being Paris, due to Ottawa's limitations. That, ladies & gentlemen, is why one has to change in Toronto for ANY destination in Europe other than London, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt.
An with The Transport Minister, Mr. Lawrence Cannon, representing Ottawa-Gatineau, things are not going to change much until a major trade and "open skies" type of deal is made, which may take another two years. (Look how Seattle has benefitted from the US-Europe agreement, and how they're overtaking Vancouver, even though Seattle is not the principal US West Coast city)
If you want statistics, look at the number of passengers handled yearly at Vancouver (approximately 17 million at best) compared to Seattle (29 million). That says a great deal, right there. With a population 40 percent bigger than Vancouver, Seattle handles nearly twice as many passengers, and has several airlines knocking at the door for landing rights, including Emirates. Vancouver has got to grow, diversify, and push harder. Then and only then will we get the air connections we deserve and need. The Hon. Lawrence Cannon is unlikely to have our interests in mind, but we can't rest on our laurels either.
That's very true. However ..........
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