In the end all the fear and consternation was in vain.  VANOC pulled it off and did so by reducing “background” traffic by much more than 30% (some estimates say 60%).  The truth is very few people who were on the roads during the Games DIDN’T say “that was the easiest driving experience of my life, there was no one on the roads”.

The messaging worked so well that the actual contingency planning and transportation infrastructure didn’t have to.  Knowing what they know now I would expect if you were to get a senior manager at the VANOC transportation team alone and honest they’d tell you that they could have pulled this off for far less money.  Keep in mind that comment comes with the caveat of “knowing what they know now” in front of it.

All this to say that the congratulations for transportation success is owed to the communications staff at VANOC, Jan Jansen and his team at the RMOW and the community as a whole for buying into the process.  The lack of snow cannot be underestimated as snow clearing contingencies were never put to the test but after all is said and done the Vancouver Olympic transportation experience was a glowing success.

Last night at Whistler’s municipal council meeting former Whistler CAO and Games-time manager Jim Godfrey presented the Olympic lessons learned to the community.  The list of thank-yous was long and I was happy to see that the transportation team was top of his list.

The whole event was a real community effort and success.  For our part Transportation Whistler and Ridebooker.com carried 12,000 people in those two weeks.  We all worked hard during the last couple years to make this work.  Being a part of Whistler’s Olympic transportation effort was a joy due mainly to the efforts of Whistler local leadership.  Jan Jansen, Bill Murray and others did a phenomenal job making sure that the community transportation effort was pulling in the same direction.

Lesson learned: If you are having a big event… close public parking lots, gate your highway, massively upgrade transit and tell everyone and everyones mom that they can’t drive their cars.  It may sound crass and maybe it is… but it works!

It is fairly widely known that the Quick Shuttle bus service connects Vancouver and Seattle.  What is becoming obvious, however, is that we have not gotten the word out well enough that you can be picked up along the way.  The primary rule for the Vancouver to Seattle service is that when using the service you must cross an international border (ie you cannot travel from Seattle to Bellingham).

This bus service can however take you from River Rock Casino to Seattle and from the Campbell River Store in South Surrey to Seattle.  To book the service book a YVR to Seattle transfer and choose River Rock or Campbell River Store as your pickup location as you book.  The River Rock Casino is in Richmond very close to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).  The Campbell River Store is conveniently placed 5 minutes north of the US/Canada border – easier and more accessible than driving from White Rock to Vancouver to meet your bus.  If you have questions about our services email us at info@ridebooker.com.

In April we told you the exciting news that Ridebooker was getting set to open our transportation services in and around Toronto and other destinations in Eastern Canada (view previous blog). Well, we’ve been busy and we’re proud to announce that we have found some great new providers firmly committed to offering top-notch service in Southern Ontario. And now we’ve got our sight on Ottawa and the National Capital Region!

What does this mean to our Ridebooker clients?

Ridebooker has proved to be a one-stop-shop for on-line transportation booking. Clients who traveled with us in Western Canada, can now travel with that same comfort and ease in Eastern Canada! Let us help you book your transportation needs, from coast to coast!

Whether you’re looking for transportation from the Toronto-Pearson Airport to downtown Toronto for that must-see conference, or you’re taking your family to Muskoka for some good, country-living, we can get you there in comfort and style. Visit us on-line to book today.

How to Book Your Eastern Canadian Routes?

It’s simple! When you visit us on-line, you will be taken to our home page. Notice that you are given a return or one-way option. Make your choice, then proceed to choosing your date(s) of travel. You will see that there are empty boxes for your To and From locations. Just begin to type in your travel destination, for example Toronto, and notice that the computer will automatically retrieve the locations you can travel to and from that match what you have typed in the box. Once your destinations have been selected, click the green “BOOK NOW!” button on the bottom of the page and continue to purchase your transportation booking through credit card payment.

It’s that easy! And should you have any difficulty at all, contact us through Live Chat, email us or call us. In Vancouver 604-966-2209 | Toll Free: 1-866-943-0516 | International: 1-403-536-5977.

What does Eastern Canada have to offer this summer?

Many places to visit; many festivals and events to see. Here are but a few…

In Toronto visit:

• Toronto Jazz Festival (June 25-July 4)
• Gay Pride (June 25-July 4)
• Caribana Festival (July15-August 2)
• Roger’s Cup (August 13 – 22)
• Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) (August 20-September 6)
• Toronto’s International Film Festival (September 9-19)

In Ottawa visit:

• The Ottawa International Jazz Festival (June 24-July 4)
• July 1st – In the Capital
• Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest (July 7-18)

In other Ontario locations:

• The Stratford Shakespeare Festival (ongoing)
• Kingston Buskers Rendezvous (July 8-11)
• Great Canadian Rendezvous at Fort William Historical Park (July 9-18)
• Grand River Champion of Champions Pow Wow (July 24-25)
• Parry Sound Festival of the Sound (July 16-August 8 )
• The Elora Festival (July 9-August 1)
• Wikwemikong Pow Wow (July 31-August 2)
• Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games (August 13-15)

Have we missed any important events you think should be on this list? Contact us and let us know! We’re happy to add them in.

We are a small company that performs online booking for ground and air transportation between major Western – and now Eastern Canadian resorts, airports and cities.  If you have any further questions feel free to contact us. We look forward to assisting you in your next travel adventure!



I am really not a fan of the 24 hour news cycle so when I caught a “good news” story about a walkable community in the southern USA I was pleasantly surprised.  Between shots of Anderson Cooper in strange and unusual places and situations; CNN had a 3 minute look at a southern US community designed strictly around walking and bicycling.  I searched the net for this piece without success so if you know where it is please send a link to info@ridebooker.com.  These walkable communities that they highlighted are quickly getting more and more attention which is great.  The fact is, this is an idea that Whistler has been working on in the resort community context for a long time and with great success.

Whistler’s vision for a walkable center of town was first and foremost an economic one.  The original vision being that a holiday in a place that you can walk to shop is much cozier then getting in a car and driving…. lessons learned from European ski resorts.  The proof (as is said) is in the pudding.  Whistler’s walkable resort village is now a template that all ski resorts, from Sun Peaks to Sochi follow.

Whistler’s walkability makes positive transportation purchasing decisions easier.  When asked what our most environmentally friendly transportation option to access Whistler the answer is easy… scheduled bus service.  When emissions are shared they are reduced across the board.  Although limiting carbon emissions are nowhere near the top of the list when it comes to the factors driving our client purchasing decisions the fact that Whistler is walkable is one more reason to forgo a rental car for a shared transportation option.

In our recent guest surveys many people go with a rental car because “they always have”.  Our goal is to make sure you know that the friendlier option for the environment is also the most safe, convenient and affordable.  Have a look at preferred transportation options to Whistler; it just makes sense.