Greyhound is withdrawing its passenger route from Prince Rupert to Prince George.
On Feb. 21, the Passenger Transportation Board approved Greyhound’s request to cut nine routes in B.C. after the company’s ridership dropped 30 per cent in those routes in the last five years.
Greyhound will operate its passenger service in northern B.C. until June 1, only its freight service will continue afterwards.
READ MORE: Greyhound cleared to end routes in northern B.C., Vancouver Island
Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain expressed his disappointment but was optimistic.
Although the City of Prince Rupert opted out of the Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan, there are still other options to travel short distances east by bus.
The Friendship House is offering a $5 fare bus service that will be going to Terrace twice a week. The North Coast Transition Society has a seven-days-a-week transportation program to provide emergency funds to assist people in need. Northern Health also offers its Connections bus for patients with medical appointments outside of Prince Rupert.
READ MORE: Rupert gets a $5 twice-a-week bus to Terrace
“The longer route is the issue now. You can’t get straight from Prince Rupert to Prince George other than taking Via Rail. What happened on Vancouver Island when they [Greyhound] pulled out of there in 2013, an operator came in and was able to make a full-fledged business out it,” Brain said.
“Now that this door is closing another could open for a smaller bus, maybe a 23-seater. Enough to get from Prince Rupert, Prince George up to Dawson Creek.”
This is an opportunity, the mayor said, for a private company to step in, possibly a First Nation enterprise, to create employment and run a business here in the north. Until then, there will be a gap in services.
Port Edward Mayor Dave MacDonald said the other option — the passenger train service — is not very reliable. In February, a group of student basketball players travelling to Prince George were stranded on the train for more than 27 hours due to winter weather conditions.
“The elimination of the Greyhound bus service between Prince Rupert and Prince George will affect our community especially the population that does not own a vehicle, those that do not have a driver’s licence and those that cannot afford any other means of transportation, such as flights,” MacDonald said.
He added that flights from Prince Rupert must go through Vancouver rather than Prince George, and flying from Terrace is not an option for those without a vehicle since you cannot get to Terrace.
The Passenger Transportation Board, which is an independent authority from the government, made the decision that drew criticism from both North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice and Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen.
“This decision will particularly impact Indigenous communities, women and vulnerable people,” Rice said.
“Greyhound has removed services from other parts of rural B.C. in years past and it’s unfortunate to see this trend of focusing on the movement of packages while getting out of the business of moving people. It’s important to note that this trend started well before the inter-city transportation network commenced on Highway 16.”
B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena is reaching out to municipal and First Nations governments who will be affected by the withdrawal of Greyhound to create a long-term solution.
In a statement, Cullen said he will be working with First Nation, regional and municipal governments to ask the federal government for a regional bus service.
