Greyhound pulling out the stops

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This article was published 05/04/2012 (5119 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Greyhound Canada is greatly reducing its reach in the province, eliminating passenger service to the Interlake, much of southeast and southwest Manitoba and the north.

The service cuts take effect July 1. Freight services are not affected.

The cuts also include fewer daily buses between Winnipeg and Brandon. They come as provincial subsidies to the bus company giant are set to end this summer.

The province is partially deregulating intercity bus transport as of July 1, allowing companies to eliminate or modify service on routes as long as they provide 90 days notice. Greyhound has done that. The company’s plans were obtained from the province by the Free Press on Wednesday.

Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said although many communities will lose Greyhound service, he expects smaller companies and individual communities will step in to fill the void.

“I don’t think people should assume that this is the final route map for bus service in the province,” he said, referring to routes Greyhound will maintain.

The company will continue to provide service to communities along highways 1, 5, 6 (to Thompson) and 10. Only one interprovincial route will be cut — between Minnedosa and Yorkton.

Ashton said the province anticipated there would be cuts to passenger service. He noted the network that remains is still much greater than Greyhound had planned when it threatened to close shop in Manitoba in September 2009.

The province has paid the bus company millions of dollars in subsidies since then to provide service while the government sought a solution.

A Greyhound official was not available for comment Wednesday. The company instead issued a statement saying the regulatory changes would give it more flexibility “and allow us to react to changes or needs in rural communities much better.”

While many provincial routes are being eliminated, Greyhound said its buses will log nearly 65 per cent of the kilometres they used to travel in Manitoba come July 1.

The general reaction to Greyhound’s plans was resignation on Wednesday.

Doug Dobrowolski, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, said he feels the province has done all it could to retain bus service.

Like Ashton, he was also hopeful other groups would step in to fill the void in communities affected by Greyhound’s service cuts.

“We’re confident that there’s going to be some other carriers come in,” he said.

David Stead, who operates a Greyhound depot at his farm supply business in Boissevain, said while the bus company does lots of freight business in the area, few people ride the bus these days. Boissevain is on a Highway 3 route that will lose passenger service July 1.

“There’s very little passenger use. It’s such a waste to use a big bus,” he said Wednesday. However, “the sad thing is that the people who use it really need it,” he added.

John Neufeld, another Greyhound agent who operates Hi-Way Groceteria in Winkler, estimates only 10 people take the bus from his city each week.

Greyhound used to run buses two or three times a day from Winkler but over the years it has cut back to one bus three days a week: Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Neufeld already trucks some freight for Greyhound. And he’s thinking of operating a van that would haul both passengers and freight on a portion of Greyhound’s Highway 3 route, perhaps from Winkler to Carman to Winnipeg.

“We’re working on it,” he said, adding he’s not made a final decision.

Leaf Rapids Mayor Geraldine Cockerill said the Association of Manitoba Municipalities has been working on transportation alternatives with affected communities, such as hers. That includes organizing a shuttle that could ferry passengers to the Greyhound depot in Thompson.

“We have a lot of people who don’t have their driver’s licence and don’t have transportation,” Cockerill said. “They’ve got medical appointments. And you pretty well have to go out of town for everything.”

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Affected runs

Passenger routes to be abandoned as of July 1:

 

All routes in the Interlake.

Winnipeg to Lac du Bonnet and Pine Falls (currently contracted out to Boutin Bus Lines); the route averages 2.7 passengers per trip.

Winnipeg to Steinbach and Sprague; averages 1.8 passengers per trip.

Winnipeg to Carman and Brandon via Highway 3; averages 6.4 passengers per trip.

Winnipeg to Brandon and Reston via Highway 2; averages 2.6 passengers per trip.

Part of the Highway 16 route between Minnedosa and Yorkton.

Lynn Lake to Thompson (serves Leaf Rapids and Nelson House); averages 8.9 passengers per trip.

Split Lake to Gillam portion of Thompson to Gillam route; averages 13.4 passengers per trip.

Thompson to Flin Flon; averages 10 passengers per trip.

Cross Lake to Norway House (part of a route that runs from Thompson to Norway House and Cross Lake); averages 14 passengers per trip.

 

Routes retained but with reduced service include:

 

Winnipeg to Brandon via Highway 1; reduced to three runs a day from five.

Flin Flon to Winnipeg; eliminates one of the two daily runs.

 

— source: Province of Manitoba