With Greyhound shutting down its bus routes in B.C. at the end of October, Langley City is still hoping to have an inter-city bus depot in a key location.
Langley’s Greyhound depot on Logan Avenue is part of routes that connect to and from Vancouver, Calgary, Kamloops, Kelowna, Winnipeg, Chilliwack, Hope, and numerous smaller communities across B.C. and western Canada.
Langley City can’t stop Greyhound from its planned shutdown, but if there is inter-city bus service, it may move to a new location, said City administrator Francis Cheung.
The City has made provision with TransLink to hopefully ensure that a new bus depot could be built in the future near the planned B-Line bus route, and near an eventual stop for the planned light rail extension from Surrey.
“There might be some partnership with TransLink to have it in the same location,” said Cheung, though that would be up to TransLink.
“Looking at it from a business point of view, they would be wise to be there,” said Langley City Mayor Ted Schaffer.
However, he noted rent could be a factor for any new company.
The idea is to improve connectivity, so people getting off an intercity bus would have access to local transit options.
As for the long-term fate of the current Greyhound site, across from the main downtown bus loop, it could be redeveloped.
So far, Schaffer said the City hasn’t heard anything from Greyhound about plans for the future of the site.
The land is currently sandwiched between two self-storage businesses, and is zoned for light industrial use.
But Langley City is about to undergo a planning process dubbed Nexus, noted Cheung. The land’s designation could change.
Greyhound announced in July that it is shutting down all inter-city routes in western Canada, with the exception of a single Vancouver-Seattle route.
Federal politicians have looked into the Greyhound shutdown, with federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau directed to work with provincial and local officials as well as the company to find a solution.
Schaffer is also eager to continue seeing inter-city bus service continue. He and other family members have used it in the past, he said.
“I would encourage another company to come in,” said Schaffer.
