BC’s Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) met in Prince George on Monday to hear public input on Greyhound Canada’s application to end Northern ridership.
Should the request be approved by the board, the bus service is suggesting a Connecting Communities Fund, with an aim to provide safe transport for rural areas and access to regional hubs and services.
Vanderhoof Mayor Gerry Thiessen believes a review needs to take place before the wheels fall of the road.
“I personally think that Greyhound and the BC government need to sit down, look at it thoroughly, and say, ‘Okay, how do we fix this? Where do we go on from here?’ We need to make sure that this area is as safe as possible.”
Greyhound Canada’s Senior Vice-President Stuart Kendrick claims it already costs up to $20 million annually for the BC government to keep highway bus systems moving.
“We know it’s clear that this is what these communities need. It would allow them to look at what service they needed, make the service viable for any private carrier that would be put out for a tenure process, and to make sure that the citizens of these communities have connectivity for the major areas.”
He adds the possible solution would be used for leisure travels on top of inter-city needs.
The PTB is continuing its public consultations tomorrow in Smithers, and ending on Thursday in Fort St. John.
A decision is expected to be made as early as January.
BC’s Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) hosts its 1st #NorthernBC public hearing in light of @GreyhoundBus application to pull routes out of the region | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/fpS4GhGCnI
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) December 11, 2017
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