| January 2007: Exploring Canada Moving in New Directions! Please note that Exploring Canada Tours has ceased activities in the Lake O'Hara area of Yoho National Park. For information on the seasonal shuttle bus operation to O'Hara, please click to http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/activ15a_e.asp . Owners Bob Weaver and Bill Overend are currently juggling related business and personal interests. They are engaged in planning "next steps" for Exploring Canada Tours Inc. Please stay tuned!
April 2005: Shuttle Service Enters Its Third Year “This must be one of the most beautiful hiking destinations in the world. It's good there is a quota system and no access for private vehicles. Trails are very well maintained and marked. We had a perfect day. Thanks!”– Rider Feedback Files, 2004 The O’Hara Transit public shuttle service between the Trans-Canada Highway and Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park enters its third summer in 2005. Our service commences operations Friday, June 17 and winds up Wednesday Oct. 5. More than 1,100 comment cards were filed by riders in 2004. Satisfaction with our service averaged 4.64 on a 1-5 scale. “We focused on ‘safe, knowledgeable and friendly’ last year and we’re very pleased with how the season went,” said Bob Weaver, President of Exploring Canada Tours. Overall, patrons of the Lake O’Hara Lodge indicated greatest satisfaction with the bus service, followed by Alpine Club of Canada patrons, overnight campers and day hikers. The average size of parties visiting Lake O’Hara in 2004 was five (although the most common party size was two). The daily bus schedule is unchanged this year. After adjustments prior to summer 2004, satisfaction with the schedule greatly improved. New in 2005 is the availability of one-way bus transportation tickets, which are being offered to area users who arrive at Lake O’Hara on foot. The price of a one-way ticket is $10 ($5 for youths 6-16). For more information and reservations for the public transit service to Lake O’Hara, click to http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/activ15a_E.asp#bus or call Parks Canada at 250-343-6433. Exploring Canada Tours drivers are members of the Lake O’Hara Trails Club and we are proud to be a donor to the club for the third year.
April 2004: Exploring Canada Tours to commence its second season at O’Hara In 2004, Exploring Canada Tours Inc. commences its second season as operator of shuttle buses to Lake O’Hara. Building on a successful inaugural season in the Lake O’Hara area, the company is responding to rider feedback and has introduced a number of minor improvements for 2004. The biggest change will be to the bus schedule. Exploring Canada Tours has introduced extra capacity for the afternoon shuttle down from the Lake, which should alleviate waits that some hikers were experiencing on peak volume days. “We worked with Parks Canada and the O’Hara community to come up with adjustments that we believe will streamline departure from the Lake area,” says Bill Overend, company vice-president. “The change doesn’t expand Parks Canada use quotas for O’Hara, but it does better align transportation capacity with the times users want to come out. A secondary benefit of the schedule changes is that our drivers will gain greater exposure to the O’Hara area,” adds Overend, “so their knowledge and experience will also be enriched.” The company’s focus will be to continue to provide safe, efficient, prompt, and courteous transportation services to and from the Lake, as part of an agreement reached with Parks Canada in 2003. Exploring Canada Tours managers and staff are members of the Lake O’Hara Trails Club and the company is proud to be a donor to the club for the second year. This summer the bus service to O’Hara operates from Friday June 18 to Sunday Oct. 3 between the Trans-Canada Highway and the lake. All reservations for the service, which costs $15 for adults and $7.50 for youths 6-16, will continue to go through Parks Canada (the number is 250-343-6433). The full bus schedule is available on the web at http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/activ15a_e.asp. More information on Exploring Canada Tours can be found at www.exploringcanada.com.
Exploring Canada Tours Inc. is the new operator of shuttle buses to Lake O’Hara this summer. The company won a three-year contract for provision of the service through a tendering process held earlier this year by Parks Canada. Based in Calgary, Exploring Canada Tours was formed to provide contract transportation services as well as authentic soft adventure tours. In the summer of 2003, its central focus will be the safe, courteous, on-time transportation of park visitors to and from the O’Hara area. Behind the scenes, the company will be pursuing plans for all-inclusive tour products, to be offered beginning summer 2004. “Lake O’Hara is a very special place in the Rockies … it’s a great jumping-off point for us,” said Bill Overend, company director. “It’s an honour to be contributing to the overall experience of visitors to the area.” Overend, who has worked with Parks Canada in Calgary, Jasper and Whitehorse and now resides in Calgary, said his drivers will work closely with the Lake O’Hara Trails Club, Lake O’Hara Lodge, the Alpine Club of Canada and Parks Canada to ensure that needs are being met. The bus service to O’Hara operates from June 19 to October 6 between the Trans-Canada Highway and the lake. All reservations for the service, which costs $12 for adults and $5 for youths 6-16, will continue to go through Parks Canada (the number is 250-343-6433). The bus schedule is available on the web at www.parkscanada.gc.ca/yoho. More information on Exploring Canada Tours can be found at www.exploringcanada.com.
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