some tips on getting to olympic venues
Hello,
If you are going to an event in Whistler or Cypress, listen up:
You need to GET A BUS TICKET to get on one of the buses going up. There is no other way to get up there unless you are special and have a driving pass. Even the athletes can't drive up, so I really doubt you can get a driving pass. It is possible to take a cab to Cypress, but the cab will be stopped at security and you will have to walk three miles the rest of the way.
Apparently when you bought your event ticket you were supposed to be informed at the same time that you had to buy a bus ticket. But many people were not, and thus had a very screwed up day trying to get to their venue.
Go to OBN2010.com to buy a bus ticket. It is $25 to Cypress and $50 to Whistler, return trip. Once you are up at Cypress or Whistler you don't need to show a ticket to get back to the city. (I'm aware that's a pretty big rip off but I had nothing to do with it.)
If the website is not working for you, in the morning at the Lonsdale Quay terminal there is a kiosk where you can buy the tickets. I'm not sure about the other terminals.
Today there was a lot of folderal about people not having their tickets, and the kiosk broke down or sold out or something. If you find yourself at the bus terminal without a bus ticket, please be patient and don't lose your cool. We'll try to find a way to get you up there.
It's not worth getting mad at the employees or volunteers. I assure you, we're well aware of the shortcomings of these events, and this whole affair has screwed us over a lot more than it's screwing you over. I can only speak for myself and my fellow employees when I say that the paid staff really couldn't care less about the Olympics, so we're not particularly moved by people yelling at us about it. (And why yell at a volunteer?) But, there's no reason your day has to be wrecked because of VANOC's inability to communicate.
I hope this saves some people some time! I would be so pissed if I were one of the many people who came many miles to see an event only to be turned away at the bus stop.
And THANK YOU to the nice man today who gave me his extra bus tickets to disseminate. You made somebody's day.
(Volunteers - I'm unclear as to whether you need to buy a bus ticket if you're going to a venue you don't have clearance for, but personally, I'm letting any volunteer or staff on.)
ETA: At the Lonsdale Quay bus hub there is a period between 4:45 and 8:45 when there are no buses going to Cypress. I'm told it will be like this until the 20th, although I hope it changes before then. If you have an event, head for the mountain for when the event starts - if you are trying to go up for some of the event later, or just the finals, you probably won't be able to catch a bus. They scheduled the buses around when the events start and do not care about people who are trickling in for later parts of the event. I'm sure Sumi would fly you all there on his back if he could, but he is not real. Sorry to break it to ya.
If you are going to an event in Whistler or Cypress, listen up:
You need to GET A BUS TICKET to get on one of the buses going up. There is no other way to get up there unless you are special and have a driving pass. Even the athletes can't drive up, so I really doubt you can get a driving pass. It is possible to take a cab to Cypress, but the cab will be stopped at security and you will have to walk three miles the rest of the way.
Apparently when you bought your event ticket you were supposed to be informed at the same time that you had to buy a bus ticket. But many people were not, and thus had a very screwed up day trying to get to their venue.
Go to OBN2010.com to buy a bus ticket. It is $25 to Cypress and $50 to Whistler, return trip. Once you are up at Cypress or Whistler you don't need to show a ticket to get back to the city. (I'm aware that's a pretty big rip off but I had nothing to do with it.)
If the website is not working for you, in the morning at the Lonsdale Quay terminal there is a kiosk where you can buy the tickets. I'm not sure about the other terminals.
Today there was a lot of folderal about people not having their tickets, and the kiosk broke down or sold out or something. If you find yourself at the bus terminal without a bus ticket, please be patient and don't lose your cool. We'll try to find a way to get you up there.
It's not worth getting mad at the employees or volunteers. I assure you, we're well aware of the shortcomings of these events, and this whole affair has screwed us over a lot more than it's screwing you over. I can only speak for myself and my fellow employees when I say that the paid staff really couldn't care less about the Olympics, so we're not particularly moved by people yelling at us about it. (And why yell at a volunteer?) But, there's no reason your day has to be wrecked because of VANOC's inability to communicate.
I hope this saves some people some time! I would be so pissed if I were one of the many people who came many miles to see an event only to be turned away at the bus stop.
And THANK YOU to the nice man today who gave me his extra bus tickets to disseminate. You made somebody's day.
(Volunteers - I'm unclear as to whether you need to buy a bus ticket if you're going to a venue you don't have clearance for, but personally, I'm letting any volunteer or staff on.)
ETA: At the Lonsdale Quay bus hub there is a period between 4:45 and 8:45 when there are no buses going to Cypress. I'm told it will be like this until the 20th, although I hope it changes before then. If you have an event, head for the mountain for when the event starts - if you are trying to go up for some of the event later, or just the finals, you probably won't be able to catch a bus. They scheduled the buses around when the events start and do not care about people who are trickling in for later parts of the event. I'm sure Sumi would fly you all there on his back if he could, but he is not real. Sorry to break it to ya.
