Shuttle bus from London, St. Thomas to Port Stanley beach to launch mid-June

Residents of London and St. Thomas looking for a ride to the beach this summer are in luck.

Erie Fun Tours has announced a shuttle service to Port Stanley Beach starting June 15. Owner Jen Slack said the timing was decided upon following an online survey launched in February.

“People kind of wanted to go to the beach on Saturday; that was the best day for them. They wanted to get there in the afternoon. Most of the people that we’re serving were also people that owned their own cars and had licences. They were able to drive… they just didn’t want to drive,” Slack said.

The buses are scheduled to arrive in Port Stanley for 1 p.m., which also allows for riders to take in a 2 p.m. matinee performance at the Port Stanley Festival Theatre. The bus will then leave the beach at 7 p.m.

Two routes are scheduled to run every other Saturday. One route will take passengers from west London to St. Thomas on June 15 and June 29 while the other route will run June 22 and July 16 from east London and St. Thomas to Port Stanley and back.

“If we fill these buses up then we can offer better service and more options for people, maybe even leaving earlier in the morning and getting home before dinner,” Slack explained.

Slack added that residents worried about the weather can be reassured by the company’s rainy day policy.

“If people book on a Saturday and it’s a rainy day, we automatically put them onto a Sunday bus. Down the road, if we start running Sunday charters, we will just put them on a different bus,” she said.

Tickets are $20 plus HST and a booking fee when purchased in London and $17 plus tax and a booking fee for those picked up in St. Thomas. Tickets can be purchased on the Erie Fun Tours website, through Eventbrite or over the phone at 833-ERIE-FUN (374-3386).