Province to Work with Northern B.C. Communities Re: Bus Service
Prince George, B.C. – Last week it became clear, Greyhound is looking to discontinue a number of routes it services in Northern B.C. and the Province’s Minister of Transportation says she is deeply concerned by that news .
Minister Claire Trevena says “As an independent body, the Passenger Transportation Board is required to consider this application and render their decision based on the service needs of these communities, as well as the viability of Greyhound’s business along the route. We will follow this application closely and look forward to the Passenger Transportation Board’s review and its final decision.”
She says while the Government waits for the Board’s decision, the Government will “work with local governments to explore all options to support affordable transportation in Northern B.C., including examining how other jurisdictions have successfully preserved rural bus services.”
Greyhound is targeting the following northern routes:
- Prince George to Prince Rupert
- Prince George to Valemount
- Prince George to Dawson Creek
- Dawson Creek to Whitehorse
Greyhound cites subsidized transportation as one of the reasons for the proposed service cuts. The subsidized transportation comes in the form of the new BC Transit options from Prince George to Prince Rupert, and the Northern Health connections service throughout the Northern Health area.
Prince George Valemount Shirley Bond says the BC Transit service that is being provided along one section of highway 16 is very specific “And it certainly does not meet the needs of all the constituents who live along highway 16, particularly those who live in Prince George-Valemount.” She says while her constituents have the Northern Health connections service, that service is tied to medical appointments ” So if you have a need to do any other type of business, or if you don’t want to travel during the winter months on a long, isolated section of highway, you will no longer have an option.”
Bond says she is already hearing from people throughout the north about the proposed route cancellations “If the complete cancellation of services is allowed to happen, an entire region of the province will have very few safe transportation options.”
She has asked Minister Trevena to sit down with Greyhound “to better understand their argument and to work to see if there are any solutions for those of us who live in Northern British Columbia.” Bond says she is not asking the Minister to intervene in the decision of the Board “I am asking her to do the homework that it takes to sit down with Greyhound and have a conversation about how a very specific , meaningful transportation corridor, may well be without the service it deserves.”
Comments
Greyhound is a dying horse. Going the way of the railroad passenger train. Best they find a niche in the system
Bond telling the minister what she must do. Priceless.
“She has asked Minister Trevena”
The operative word is “asked” …. not “told”
She is the MLA who represents the riding from PG to Valemount.
She is concerned about their needs and has a seat in the Legislative Assembly to support their needs.
See anything wrong with that?
A billion dollars heisted out of ICBC over the last six years? Shirley you jest?
Bed time job in Canada is any member of the opposition party.. don’t do anyhthing but complain and get paid..
Bond didn’t do much for us gen in power….now doing nothing at all
Best too :)
What ? Governing by photo op wasn’t good enough for ya ? I miss her smiling face , hard hat and when lucky a shovel made of stainless steel . From Lee Valley Tools , I think .
P Val and Ataloss, both of you are out to lunch.
Shirley Bond has worked as hard or harder than the vast majority of MLAs in the province, regardless of party affiliation.
Shirley Bond cares more about her riding and the people in it than the vast majority of MLAs in the province, regardless of party affiliation.
I suspect that her work ethic and her concern for our area far exceeds that of the two of you combined!
I’ve seen her at the airport catching early morning flights out of here. I’ve seen her on late evening flights returning to PG. Both of you probably put in your 7.5 hours a day, with a couple of coffee breaks and a lunch break tossed in and that’s it! Not a single extra minute on the clock without time and a half!
Yup, you two together couldn’t hold a candle to Shirley Bond!
Now, quit your whining and go back to playing with your Horgan and Weaver bobble head dolls!
Hart Guy I know you would be proud of her seeing she is a Liberal. She spent much of her time looking for a good news story so she could have her picture taken with it. I don’t remember her working hard to keep more schools open. She never spent much time in Victoria but now she may have to show up for a meeting.
Gee, I’ve also seen Shirley Bond in the grocery store. Never thought much of it though…
I would like to know what the BC Transit ridership numbers look like and how they compare in costs to Greyhound! Add Northern Health and see if all add up to 30% capacity
Yes Shirley Bond does her own groceries…but Hart Guy is steering the cart!!!
Thanks ice, a gentleman always helps a lady!
This problem did not happen over night. It happened over a long period of time a lot of which while the Liberals were in power. Populations in most towns/cities West and East of Prince George have declined over the past 15/20 years. Many lumber mills, pulp mills, mines, fisheries, etc; have shut down, and of course you have the added problem of the health service bus, and the BC Transit service, because of the Highway of Tears.
All or most of this took place while the Liberals were in power. The problem with Greyhound should have been identified much sooner, and some action taken to keep them running.
This is one more problem created by the Liberals with the NDP left holding the bag.
Perhaps Shirley could tell us how often she met with Greyhound to ensure that passenger service along Highway 16 was kept to a satisfactory level.
What does a declining passenger load have to do with the party in power? I’m sure that people don’t ponder who is the premier before deciding whether or not to buy a ticket.
The mines and mills closed because of market conditions, the mines in Fraser Lake and Houston will reopen when markets rebound or are you suggesting another Skeena Cellulose type arrangement seeing how it worded out so well last time….not.
The government cannot force people onto the bus to increase ridership. During the buildup to the introduction to BC Transit starting the PR-PG service Greyhound said that there were as few as 10 people on that route not enough to cover wages never mind the costs to keep the fleet up to standards.
About the only way to keep these money losing routes going is to offer some kind of subsidy which is absolutely idiotic given that the medical and transit services paid almost fully from the public purse. If they have to depend on government largess to stay afloat why not roll all three into a single entity with a ticket price to cover at least half the costs.
During the Liberal reign the ridership declined because people could afford to buy their own vehicle and did not have to depend on Greyhound.
With rising ICBC rates, carbon tax increases and even mobility pricing(a tax that is charged for every km your car is driven) under the ndp/green the low ridership issue will solve itself before the next election.
Haha, good one. Still see young women hitchhiking along the exits of PG, things will never change on that front. Between the Northern Health bus and the Transit who didn’t see this coming? They already dropped to one trip a day because of the NIH bus
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