Fresh from the north pole, nine reindeer busses have joined TransLink’s fleet this week to do what they do best.
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen. Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen will be hard at work this holiday season spreading cheer and making spirits bright and delivering donated toys to Metro Vancouver families in need. The red-nosed reindeer buses are part of a 36-year initiative known as Toys for Tots which delivers donated toys to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.
“The last two years have been especially challenging for many families in our region and giving back to our community is incredibly important,” TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said in a recent release. “I’m proud of the contributions made by our employees and hope that these buses and the donations will bring a smile to many faces this holiday season.”
The routes the reindeer buses will travel on will vary each day based on each bus depot's schedule. However, the buses have been decorated at each bus depot, meaning commuters in every region will have a chance at riding a reindeer bus.
If you would like to donate, you can bring unwrapped toys to the Compass Customer Service Centre outside of Stadium-Chinatown Station, or to SeaBus staff at the Waterfront or Lonsdale Quay terminals. The deadline for donations is Dec. 14, after that the toys are delivered to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau by Santa and Mrs. Claus on one of the reindeer buses.
TransLink encourages transit fans and bus spotters to snap a picture of any reindeer buses they find and share them on social media with the hashtag #ReindeerBus. For the mega-fans out there, TransLink has also launched a line of holiday merchandise featuring the Reindeer bus on the company’s online store.
Over the years, 86,912 toys and over $50,500 have been donated through the reindeer bus and Toys for Tots initiative.
