Bus company applies to serve Interior
An Edmonton-based bus line has applied to carry passengers between Vancouver and the two largest cities in the Interior — Kelowna and Kamloops — as well as making stops between the cities.
The news was welcomed Thursday by the mayors of both cities.
The application by Ebus, filed with B.C.’s Passenger Transportation Board, comes as Greyhound Canada plans to cancel all intercity bus service in Western Canada by the end of October.
“Hopefully we can offer a longterm solution for a transportation option for the people,” said Ebus spokesman John Stepovy.
He said depending on demand, Ebus may expand the network, by adding coaches or by partnering with shuttle services that would use smaller vans to transport people to smaller centres.
“Our plan is to grow if there’s demand,” he said. “Nothing for us is off the table. This is establishing a base, and if there is demand, we’ll certainly look at (expanding). … But not every community requires a 50-seat coach,” said Stepovy.
Greyhound said its pullout, a move that affected two million people, was because of a 40 per cent drop in ridership since 2010.
Ebus has proposed running two reservation-only round-trips a day seven days a week on each of three routes and hopes to have them running before Greyhound pulls out so there will be no gap in service, he said.
The buses between Kamloops and Vancouver would travel over the Coquihalla and Highway 1, with stops in Abbotsford and Merritt.
The Vancouver-Kelowna route would also travel over the Coquihalla and Highway 1, as well as Highway 97C, with stops in Chilliwack and Merritt. The service between Kelowna and Kamloops would be on Highway 97C, with a stop in Vernon.
“I’m pleased to see they’ll be stopping in Merritt,” said Shawn Boven, chief administrative officer for the city.
“That’s what I thought would happen, that the loss of Greyhound would create market space for the high-market routes,” said Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian.
“It’s a pretty important link for us, and it’s over-subscribed every day. It was always profitable,” he said. “I’m surprised Greyhound didn’t want to keep that.”
Stepovy said Ebus and its luxury coach division, Red Arrow, transport people only and have no plans to move freight, as Greyhound did.
That eliminates the need for many stops along the routes, a building for freight, extra buses or even a depot.
As it does in Alberta, Ebus plans to mostly partner with hotels to provide spots to pick up and drop off passengers, said Stepovy. Ebus hasn’t lined up any partners yet, but said the Vancouver bus depot near Main Street and Terminal Avenue would be an ideal location for its buses.
It has yet to set fares, but the prices will be similar to those charged by Greyhound, he said.
The company, which is private, will not disclose how much the expansion will cost it, but Stepovy said it will purchase six to eight new coaches and will be hiring dozens of drivers and customerservice representatives.
The B.C. regulator has to approve the application, and Ebus doesn’t know when the decision will come.
“It’s encouraging to see the private sector step up to provide badly needed service in the Interior in the wake of Greyhound’s upcoming service withdrawal,” said Transportation Minister Claire Trevena. “I expect the Passenger Transportation Board will expedite, with due diligence, any applications coming forward to replace Greyhound to make sure people can get around safely and affordably, especially in rural communities.”