Greyhound Canada to end bus service

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

^So in other words...fuck those who can't afford to fly or drive?

I personally cannot feel much for sympathy with a service I've never used myself but from the outside looking in there was a lot of things like buses breaking down on the highway and in-travel violence that made it seem like probably not much better off than hitchhiking. I am fully aware this is a massive inconvenience to many in smaller rural centers, which brings me to....

We need more rail and bus options in this province but as usual....we will continue to lag way behind because of ideological reasons.

It's bothered me that the RoW that ran from downtown Kelowna to Vernon (and then splits off to Kamloops via Falkland and Salmon Arm via Armstrong) got ripped up and replaced with a foot and bike path. I could totally see it being used for rail connections (hell, you had a siding to Kelowna International. How much more convenient could you get?) but good luck trying to fight that uphill battle now that you have to rebuild the infrastructure AND fight waterfront millionaires from Alberta. Kamloops Heritage Railway used to run the 2141 steam lovomotive from the switch in Dallas to Armstrong until after Kelowna Pacific sold the line and it was reworked to a point the train couldn't travel the new rail.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Easy to say if you live in a city with public transport to the airport. But there are a ton of cities in BC like Lytton, 100 Mile House, etc. etc. which will no longer have any form of public transport short of taxi service. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to take a taxi from Lytton to Kamloops to catch a plane?

This is definitely an issue, and one that I can't see any private business wanting to take up without massive government subsidies.

The problem is that BC is a huge province with small towns scattered all over the place. Unless the provincial or federal government steps in, and either offers a government-run bus service or offers crazy incentives to a private transport operator, we are going to see these small towns become more and more isolated.

[WestCoastEcho]

Originally Posted by 240glt

I don't think anyone begrudges Greyhound for pulling out of Western Canada, but it's silly and totally impractical to tell everyone in remote areas formerly served by the bus line to move to larger centres. There are hundreds of remote communities throughout BC that need to be there for industry, tourism, local economies and because many of the people who live there actually want to be there. Many more can't afford to move. The best thing to do would be to either incent a local operator to replace the service or vastly expand regional transit systems already in place to ensure that the folks in small towns and remote communities can still get to the places they need to get to.

Would have to agree. Either subsidize a private operator to run the routes, or ask BC Transit to fill the void. Witness how the BC government freely acknowledges that while they might be able to easily fast track a replacement for Greyhound for the southern BC routes, they will struggle to find anyone who wants the Northern routes.

[s211]

Originally Posted by WestCoastEcho

Would have to agree. Either subsidize a private operator to run the routes, or ask BC Transit to fill the void. Witness how the BC government freely acknowledges that while they might be able to easily fast track a replacement for Greyhound for the southern BC routes, they will struggle to find anyone who wants the Northern routes.

I'm sure the unions are already on this. That'll end well.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Trainguy

Flying is cheap these days. Picked up a flight from Abbotsford to Edmonton and return for $68 total price. Who would drive or take the bus?

Spoken like someone who has access to public transportation to an airport.

But what if you don't? There are a lot of small communities in BC with no airport or scheduled air service and no public transportation to get them to such an airport.

Of course people in the big cities don't care about Greyhound going out of business. And of course people in rural BC do.

[WarrenC12]

What's the history on this? Has Greyhound been complaining about losing revenue for years? This whole things seems a bit "out of the blue", or are they calling the government's bluff on saying "we won't provide any subsidy for these services."

Seems like giving GH a bit of money to keep it going is probably the cheapest and easiest solution.

[Trainguy]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What's the history on this? Has Greyhound been complaining about losing revenue for years? This whole things seems a bit "out of the blue", or are they calling the government's bluff on saying "we won't provide any subsidy for these services."

Seems like giving GH a bit of money to keep it going is probably the cheapest and easiest solution.

Money is always available when the issue scores enough political points. This isn't about the subsidy money itself, it is about how much the ruling government will benefit from being charitable to private business. So far, it hasn't climbed up the political radar enough. Time will tell.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What's the history on this? Has Greyhound been complaining about losing revenue for years? This whole things seems a bit "out of the blue", or are they calling the government's bluff on saying "we won't provide any subsidy for these services."

Seems like giving GH a bit of money to keep it going is probably the cheapest and easiest solution.

I have to wonder if they were emboldened by the federal government's buyout of the KM pipeline project. If that's in the national interest, surely inter-provincial transportation is as well.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

I have to wonder if they were emboldened by the federal government's buyout of the KM pipeline project. If that's in the national interest, surely inter-provincial transportation is as well.

Possibly, but more like the BC Bus service that the government has started after the missing and murdered women inquiry.

[Bdawe]

Giving Greyhound subsidies would have the benefit of having no start up or expansion costs and comes with Greyhound being relatively well known.

The drawback with subsidizing existing Greyhound is that Greyhound has a reputation for being terrible and probably drives down ridership all on it's own.

[djmk]

I once took Greyhound from Vancouver to Smithers around 30 years ago. OMFG it was terrible.

I don't think Greyhound needed to operate such huge buses. But since losing the freight revenue, I really don't think Greyhound wanted to reinvest into their fleet.

[jsbertram]

dear mr. musk

can we has a hyperloop soon?

[Pinus]

Does Greyhound operate in Atlantic Canada? If so, has there also been a sharp decline in ridership there?

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

dear mr. musk

can we has a hyperloop soon?

If you can deal with the massive complications—seasonal weather changes, especially in the Interior, safety issues inside the chamber when it's ruptured, and the exorbitant costs of building that thing.

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Does Greyhound operate in Atlantic Canada? If so, has there also been a sharp decline in ridership there?

No, Greyhound does not operate east of Quebec, never has, but the Maritimes has witnessed the loss of bus services over the years as well with the demise of Acadian Lines.

[Sheba]

Alberta long-haul bus approved as Greyhound Canada ends B.C. service

An Alberta long-haul bus company has been approved by the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) to service B.C.’s interior.

Three major routes will be available to customers travelling in B.C.: Vancouver to Kamloops, Kamloops to Kelowna and Kelowna to Vancouver.

“Our plan is to start operations prior to Oct. 31,” said John Stepovy, director of business development at EBus.

Stepovy said there will be stops along the route and that the company is hoping to eventually expand beyond the three routes.

In July, Greyhound Canada announced it would end all service in B.C. with the exception of a Vancouver to Seattle run.

Those services are set to wrap up Oct. 31, and Stepovy said EBus is happy to be taking on the in-demand route.

“B.C. has been a market that we’ve had lots of requests for and of course the timing there, it absolutely made sense,” he said.

He added that the company hopes to have between six and eight buses on the road before the end of the month, adding that pricing — which hasn’t been set yet — will be competitive.

The ‘EBus’ brand was launched in 2011, but its parent company, Red Arrow, has been servicing all of Alberta for 40 years.

There's no schedule or prices on their website, only "Stops include: Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, Merritt, Vernon"

[Sheba]

Greyhound replacements find tough road to prosperity in Western Canada

Six months after Greyhound Canada shut down most of its service in Western Canada and northern Ontario, the companies that stepped in to take its place say they still face a rough road full of unexpected turns.

And they concede that the level of service they are providing doesn't come close to matching what Greyhound had offered before it decided to abandon what it says was a money-losing business.

Bus operators report strong competition on profitable routes with good ridership, while remote routes with lower numbers usually aren't served at all or get less frequent or less reliable service, often on smaller vehicles or ones that don't accommodate disabled passengers.

"If you're travelling the major markets, you definitely have options and there are good carriers that are reputable," said John Stepovy, director of business development for Calgary-based Pacific Western Transportation, which operates Red Arrow and Ebus services in Alberta and B.C.

"Once you start going into smaller markets or travelling interprovincially, the marketplace is a lot more scattered and the travelling public is forced to create their own journeys. Previously, you just needed one ticket through Greyhound."

About a year ago, Pacific Western was hired by the province of British Columbia to operate its BC Bus North service after Greyhound cancelled routes to communities including Prince Rupert and Dawson Creek.

Since the larger Greyhound shutdown last Oct. 31, it has added more than a dozen buses as it rolled out intercity services in B.C. through its own brands for the first time and expanded service in Alberta as well, including taking on Edmonton-Camrose and Medicine Hat-Lethbridge routes aided by Alberta government grants.

The loss of Greyhound means it can be difficult or impossible for passengers to find connecting bus routes, said Joe Jansen, executive vice-president of Wilson's Transportation of Victoria, which moves passengers via bus and ferry between downtown Victoria and Vancouver.

It had an interline agreement with Greyhound that allowed it to sell tickets in Victoria to almost anywhere in Canada but that ended with Greyhound's withdrawal.

"Greyhound was the one carrier in Western Canada that tied everything from Winnipeg to Victoria together. We don't have that anymore and that can't possibly be positive," said Jansen, adding it's difficult to quantify the setback after one winter of results.

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