By Vanessa Ybarra

City wants to put brakes to Greyhound cuts

Sep 20, 2017 | 5:44 PM

KAMLOOPS — Cuts could be coming to Greyhound routes throughout the province, including here in Kamloops, as early as the new year.

Greyhound Canada recently filed an application to the B.C. Transportation Board requesting to reduce routes to twice a week on close to a dozen routes throughout the province, including Kamloops to Kelowna.

Regional Vice-President Peter Hamel says the cuts are due to a decrease in demand.

“Since 2010 we’ve seen an overall reduction in passenger ridership in B.C at 46 per cent,” said Hamel. “On the corridors that we made applications for abandonment that number had rose to 51 per cent since 2010.”

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Hamel says one of the factors contributing to the decline is more people moving to urban centers.

Kamloops City Hall is in the process of writing a letter of complaint to Greyhound asking for the cuts to be rescinded.

“We wanted to put ourselves on record that that is a concern,” said Acting Mayor Arjun Singh. “Most bus services are used by people who don’t have access to a vehicle. If you don’t have access to a vehicle and you need to get to Kelowna what do you do? You’re stuck. We don’t want to see that happen.”

City Councillor Tina Lange says small businesses should be allowed to fill the gap to meet the needs of travellers throughout the Interior.

“There’s no business case for small communities,” said Lange. “The provincial government needs to look at a whole new model that encourages a license to be granted to an entrepreneur or business in smaller areas where it works.”

Other service routes affected include:

• Alberta-Border & Highway 1
• Kamloops – Kelowna
• Kelowna – Penticton
• Vancouver – Osoyoos
• Kelowna – Alberta Border & Highway 3
• Prince George – Vancouver
• Alberta Border & Highway 2 – Dawson Creek
• Alberta Border & Highway 16 – Vancouver
• Kelowna – Vancouver
• Vancouver – Pemberton / Mt. Currie