Claudia Culley
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder
The Regional District of Nanaimo is providing transit shuttle services for two events taking place in Nanaimo in the coming months, the 2025 55+ BC Games and Nanaimo Artwalk.
The RDN cannot provide shuttle services on Gabriola as it is limited by policy to providing these services within its transit service areas.
Darren Marshall, senior manager of transportation services at the RDN, said people on Gabriola can however submit a funding request to their electoral director, Vanessa Craig, to support the GERTIE Community Bus should an event requiring additional transit operations occur.
From Sept. 9 to 13, the 2025 55+ BC Games will be held in Nanaimo, bringing British Columbians together for the largest annual multi-sport event in the province. The RDN Transportation Services will be providing shuttle services for four events. Two conventional compressed natural gas buses will shuttle attendees from Beban Park and Downtown Nanaimo to the opening ceremonies at Serauxman Stadium on Sept. 10 for eight hours. The same buses will then shuttle people to a sponsors’ reception at the Nanaimo Museum for two hours following the opening ceremony.
On Sept. 11, one conventional compressed natural gas bus will provide shuttle services between the Nanaimo Conference Centre and Beban Park for eight hours for a participant’s special event at the centre.
The same bus will provide the same shuttle services on Sept. 12 for a passing of the flag event at the Nanaimo Conference Centre.
“At the close of application for participants, we had 2,655 participants coming to take part in 21 different sports,” Jim Turley, director of transportation for the 55+ BC Games said during the July 22 RDN board meeting.
The cost of the shuttle service isn’t expected to go over $6,000, and RDN staff will consult with BC Transit to look into cost-saving measure that could benefit the games, an RDN board report reads.
The Nanaimo Arts Council will also be receiving transit shuttle services from the RDN for the Nanaimo Artwalk event on Nov. 22 and 23. The event will showcase the work of more than 50 visual artists in 20 public and private venues along Commercial Street and Old City Quarter in the City of Nanaimo’s Downtown.
“The elevation between the two locations is too steep for many event goers to travel between venues and therefore the event is not fully utilized by all event attendees,” an RDN report reads.
“The complementary shuttle service between the two areas of downtown would encourage attendance, reduce congestion in both areas and allow attendees to escape the inclement weather experienced at the time of year the event is being held, November.”
One RDN transit bus and operator will shuttle attendees for six hours on the first day of the event and four hours on the second day. The cost for the service isn’t expected to go over $1,000, and there is no cost to the RDN to provide the service.
The 2025 Nanaimo Artwalk event will mark the third consecutive year the RDN has provided shuttle services to support the Nanaimo Arts Council.
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