The Transportation Minister indicates there’s no plan for the government to subsidize a long-haul bus route between Kamloops and Valemount.
Claire Trevena was asked if that’s an option, with that being one of only two of Greyhound’s former routes in B.C. that haven’t been replaced.
“We are still looking at how private sector can fill in other routes, and where we can encourage the private sector to fill in other routes,” she told NL News. “I see that some private operators are already expanding their routes. They’re putting on more service, and so we’ll be looking at how the private sector can come in and fill that route.”
The provincial government does fund BC Bus North, which covers most of the northern half of the province. Trevena says there was a need to do that because of the long distances and the cost of travel.
“I think people are very aware of the vast distances and the cost of travel. And the need for safety. So we have BC Bus North working as part of BC Transit,” Trevena noted. “We also have the Highway 16 bus service that operates.”
There is a twice-weekly bus between Blue River to Kamloops for people with medical appointments. Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell says there is an appetite to add a third day drip to that bus.
He previously told NL News that a Hinton or Jasper to Kamloops bus route would be a ‘fantastic’ addition.