Private operators to pick up many of B.C.’s Greyhound routes, but gaps remain

FILE: A Greyhound MCI G4500 in the early 2000s livery in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Photo By AEMoreira042281 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

VICTORIA — A patchwork of transportation service is being stitched together across British Columbia as Greyhound pulls its buses out of Western Canada, but some holes still remain in rural areas, says Transportation Minister Claire Trevena.

Private operators are moving to provide service to much of the province following Greyhound’s decision, she said.

So far, 83 per cent of the company’s routes in B.C. will be covered by private operators by the end of this year, said Trevena on Monday.

“It was a disappointing decision and it left us scrambling in Western Canada,” she said.

Citing poor economic returns, Greyhound eliminated its service in northern B.C. in May. In July, it announced its complete withdrawal of passenger and freight service in Western Canada and parts of Ontario, effective on Wednesday.

Trevena said the province launched BC Bus North earlier this year to cover the majority of northern routes that Greyhound eliminated, which included twice-weekly round trips from Prince Rupert to Prince George.

The government also tasked the Passenger Transportation Board with inviting private bus service proposals and fast-tracking applications for entrepreneurs who offer service to regional areas and smaller, more remote communities, she said. The independent board makes decisions on the licensing of buses, taxis, limousines and shuttle vans in B.C.

Trevena said one private-sector provider will reinstate service from Vancouver to the B.C.-Alberta border by highways 5 and 1.

“In fact, you will be able to get on a bus in Vancouver and end up in Winnipeg,” she added.

The minister said the government’s northern service and the addition of private operators ensures people in B.C. can travel safely, affordably and reliably through much of the province.

“Reliable bus service is critical in making sure people feel secure in the communities they call home,” she said.

The board recently approved a reservation-only bus service from the Merritt area, which includes trips to Langley and Prince George.

It would also provide service from Merritt to the nearby Highland Valley Copper Mine.

Wilson’s Group of Companies, which provides connecting services to BC Ferries from Victoria and Vancouver and runs an Island route to Tofino, said the board approved its plan to offer bus service from downtown Vancouver to Kelowna and Kamloops, starting early next month.

The board has also received an application from Little Shuswap Taxi in Chase to provide reservation-only service between Salmon Arm and Kamloops, including stops at area Indigenous communities.

But Trevena said several areas of the province are still looking for some form of transportation after the Greyhound pull out.

“There are gaps and more work needs to be done,” she said. “As of today there are eight sections of routes that Greyhound was operating that haven’t been filled by private operators.”

B.C.’s Opposition Liberals called on Trevena to make public its data that concludes 83 per cent of Greyhound’s routes will be covered by private operators.

Transportation critic Jordan Sturdy said when total stops at communities are considered compared with the number of routes, the service number drops to 45 per cent.

He said the Liberals are also concerned the taxpayer funded BC Bus North service is a pilot program that is due to end in June.

Among those areas left without service are routes from Cache Creek to Kamloops, Kamloops to Valemount and Dawson Creek to the Alberta border, Trevena said.

Other areas without service include the Hope-Princeton Highway corridor, the route between Salmo and Creston in the Kootenays and Cranbrook to the Alberta border, she said.