Special events such as RibFest, Golden Spike Days and Car-Free Day drove traffic to Port Moody’s Shoreline Shuttle bus service.
Numbers compiled by the city’s engineering department showed heaviest usage of the free service — which linked Moody Centre and Inlet Centre and ran as a pilot project on summer weekends from June 1 to Labour Day — occurred during special events centred at Rocky Point Park and on Car-Free Day on St. Johns Street Aug. 19. That’s when 278 passengers took advantage of the service that ran approximately every half hour with 13 stops along the way.
RibFest weekend, July 20 to 22, wasn’t just popular for lovers of sticky barbecue, it also attracted 928 users to the shuttle bus, while 747 passengers rode it during the July long weekend when Rocky Point Park was busy with Golden Spike Days and Canada Day festivities.
A total of 3,705 riders used the service over its 13-week run, an average of 285 per summer weekend.
Port Moody spent $50,000 to contract the 20-passenger bus, which ran a circuitous 8-km route from 4 p.m. to midnight on Fridays; 1 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays; and 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Extra service was added on stat holidays and for the special event weekends. Part of the cost was offset by sponsorship from The Panatch Group, a development company.
The city implemented the service as a way to relieve some of the congestion and parking pressures at Rocky Point Park and nearby Brewers Row.
