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Province seeks to fill Greyhound bus gaps
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is requesting expressions of interest (RFEI) from interested parties to provide intercity bus transportation for eight route segments in B.C. that remain unfilled, following Greyhound’s withdrawal of service from the province on Oct. 31.
Included in the eight routes is ‘Cranbrook to the B.C.-Alberta border on Highway 3’, though there appears to still be a gap with no mention of Creston to Cranbrook, though ‘Salmo to Creston on highways 3 and 6’ is included in the government plans.
“The purpose of the RFEI is to gauge interest from private sector operators, non-profit societies, community agencies, local governments, Indigenous communities or other interested parties to provide innovative and flexible ground transportation services,” a Nov. 28 Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure press release explained.
Responses to this RFEI do not replace the need for interested parties to apply to the Passenger Transportation Board for an intercity bus licence.
The routes that the ministry is currently seeking expressions of interest for are as follows:
* Cache Creek to Kamloops on Highway 1;
* Kamloops to Valemount on Highway 5;
* Valemount to B.C.-Alberta border on highways 5 and 16;
* Dawson Creek to B.C.-Alberta border on Highway 2;
* Salmo to Creston on highways 3 and 6;
* Cranbrook to the B.C.-Alberta border on Highway 3;
* Fort Nelson to the B.C.-Yukon border on Highway 7;
* Hope to Princeton on Highway 3.
The ministry says it moved swiftly when Greyhound announced its departure “by fast-tracking applications from companies interested in providing service on abandoned routes. This has resulted in 83% coverage, thanks to private operators throughout the province.”
The ministry remains a part of continued discussions with the federal government and other provinces and territories as part of an interprovincial working group to find a long-term viable solution to ensure people in B.C. have access to safe and reliable ground transportation.
The submission deadline for interested respondents is Jan. 15, 2019.
Lead image: Highway 3/93 in the Steamboat Hill area. e-KNOW file photo
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