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I am looking into planning two fan trips with West Vancouver Municipal Transit "Blue Bus" this summer! I have done one with a 1992 Orion I back in February 2010, during the Winter Olympic Games, and for the most part it was a success.........everyone had a good time and seemed to have enjoyed the fun while it lasted!
SO, here's a quick general overview of my plans.........none of the details are confirmed at this stage, but here is my plan proposal. I am looking forward to hearing from anyone that would be genuinely interested in participating:
WHAT? 1995 New Flyer D40LF #965 + 1998 Novabus LFS (1st generation) #981 (TWO separate charters.......or in other ones, "one at a time")
WHEN? Potential dates are June 17th (Sunday) and July 22nd (Sunday)...........we will do the D40LF charter first, because they are planned to be withdrawn from service by August 2012; after that, we will get through with the Novabus charter! My plan is to coincide with the charter events planned by the Transit Museum Society (TRAMS), listed as following:
Saturday, June 16th
Celebration of the Flyers
-1976 Flyer E/D800 "Triesel" & 1982 Flyer D901A
Saturday, July 21st
Vintage Bus Day
-1957 CCF Brill CD52A & another vintage bus
My initiative of coinciding my charter plans with the TRAMS charter plans is aimed at scoring TWO charters over two days, for anyone that would be interested in coming to Vancouver from other cities, if that helps to justify the financial investment of flying out to Vancouver! However, if my plans end up attracting mostly among the dominant local fans from the Lower Mainland and the Island, I would prefer to distance the dates from the TRAMS dates, such that the local fans will get the privilege of getting to go on bus fan trips every other weekend from mid-June til mid-August! (Think about THAT, would that be NICE!
) Financially, it would also be more accommodating for everyone: riding buses on fan trips can become costly! This would lead to the next part of the discussion.........HOW MUCH?
On my end, $125 / hr + $125 deadheading fee (SO, if I charter a bus for ONE hour, I will have to pay $125 x 1 + $125 = $250)........I'm being perfectly up-front and straight-forward with all of you, because I am not looking into making any financial profits from organizing bus fan charters. My goal is to create a fun event that many Vancouverite fans have perhaps imagined at some point when they sleep, and strive to create memories that can be enjoyed in the forms of photography 10 years from now!
On your end: I'll set the price ceiling at $30 per person........and I will adjust the hours / trip plans accordingly, and ultimately pay out of my own pocket if I have to. $30 may sound like a lot to ride a bus.......but think of it this way: you probably won't get to ride either of the two buses through ANY of those regions within the Lower Mainland EVER again in your lifetime, other than this one-shot opportunity! If you can convince yourself that way, $30 really isn't significant, compared to missing and regretting your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the experience!
Anyone that comes to Vancouver from Montreal for the 1st-gen Novabus Charter are eligible for a 10% discount..........and if your CPTDB username is "SMS" or "stm_5307N" as of April 11th, 2012, then you are eligible for a 100% off discount!
One thing that I DO ask from everyone: if you say "you will be there", then please DO be there unless it is an unpreventable emergency. After all, I am taking a financial risk in planning for this event: every single "no-show" = $30 out of my own wallet! Please do not penalize me for trying to bring something fun together for the community! =)
WHERE: I do not have a definitive route plan........the things that I DO know are the following:
1.) We will end up bringing BOTH buses around the entire Lower Mainland, starting from Downtown Vancouver and ultimately ending our journey at Lonsdale Quay or Phibbs Exchange
2.) Because WVMT drivers and CMBC drivers belong to different unions (ATU 134 vs CAW 111), our buses will NOT be entering any CMBC transit loops / exchanges / facilities. If you were on the Orion charter in 2010, you would probably find that we ended up with many interesting and unique transit photography opportunities than if we had the convenience of posing buses at Ladner Exchange, Coquitlam Station or SFU Loop.
IF you have any specific locations that you would like to be included in the charter route plans, please let me know by replying to this message, send me a private message, or communicate with me via FB or MSN if we are established buddies.
RSVP for this event is MANDATORY........not that I'm trying to make your life hard, but you will certainly make mine MUCH better and easier if you accommodate with this simple request! =) And on the flip side, please express your interests publicly only if you are genuinely interested! =)
Thanks for bearing with me and getting through my essay..........all developments will be posted as replies, and information in this very first post (Post #1) will be updated accordingly. Please refer to the date listed at the bottom of this post if you wish to follow-through with the latest information! The color-coded date will change to GREEN when new information becomes added.
Dave
LAST UPDATED: April 12th, 2012
