In the wake of Greyhound removing many of their services from Vancouver Island in February of 2018, local company Tofino Bus made headlines by coming forward to cover the gaps Greyhound left. Nearly a year later, and with Greyhound pulling out of western Canada entirely, the island company has continued to grow.

One of the more interesting developments in this story has been the purchase of Tofino Bus by another island company, Wilson’s Group. (WG) is the parent company of Wilson’s Transportation, a company that was denied expansion when Greyhound announced their removal of island services. Timing seemed on Tofino Bus’ side, and their application for the expansion back in March 2018 was approved. The purchase was made official on November 15, 2018, but little has change since then. Wilson has assured that Tofino Bus will keep its name and core routes.

“I knew Dylan when he first started Tofino Bus and have worked alongside him for quite some time,” John Wilson, president and CEO of the Wilson’s Group, said in a statement. “Our family is excited about the opportunities Tofino Bus will bring and look forward to working with Dylan and his team.”

The purchase sees Tofino Bus founder Dylan Green now reporting to Wilson and currently on a one-year contract as the companies come together. Green is eager about the continued growth of Tofino Bus.

“We will be part of a larger group that will help us grow passenger bus services and expand our freight network on Vancouver Island, to the Mainland, and beyond,” Green said.

The purchase of Tofino Bus wasn’t the only growth WG saw since the departure of Greyhound. The company that started on Salt Spring Island expanded to add routes to Kelowna, Kamloops, and Whistler from their Vancouver route. Plans are underway to create a more provincial connection with WG and Tofino Bus.

With a fleet of 40 vehicles and a staff of 41 individuals around the island, Tofino Bus has kept its local roots feel while still growing to meet Island needs. One of these developments has been the addition of package delivery on their buses, a service that was lost when Greyhound ended their contract on the island. Tofino Bus offers same-day delivery across the Island and has built in a door-to-door shipping option as well. Parcels can also be picked up at any of the 14 bus depots and freight stations that are found along the Island.

Tofino Bus’ schedule, services, and bookings can be found here.