Ontario-based Kasper Bus Lines starts up Winnipeg-Dauphin-The Pas route

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/11/2024 (307 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Several northern Manitoba communities will once again be connected to Winnipeg via bus travel after months without such transportation.

Kasper Bus Lines, an Ontario-based company, announced it will launch a regular route from Winnipeg to The Pas through Dauphin.

The first ride departs Dec. 1.

It comes roughly three months after Mahihkan Bus Lines, which had serviced the area, shuttered its operations. Mahihkan was created in 2019, after Greyhound Canada ended its western Canadian services in 2018.

“There seems like there’s a void in the market,” said Kasper Wabinski, president of Kasper Bus Lines. “That’s our job — to meet the needs of the consumer.”

The first buses on the route will have 14 seats, but be limited to 10 passengers per trip. As potential demand grows, the vehicles will be swapped for 30-seaters, Wabinski said.

He’s hired at least five staff to accommodate the new route. Passengers will leave Winnipeg on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; the bus will depart The Pas on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Saturdays will be incorporated as demand grows, the company said.

Kasper Bus Lines is touting Starlink internet, live estimated arrival time tracking and online booking.

“Having a new operator come into the area, I certainly believe, is going to be a good thing for the residents of our community,” said Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak.

Recently, locals have been challenged getting to Winnipeg for medical appointments and other visits. Dauphin has faced a public transportation shortage connecting the city to other communities, Bosiak said.

There’s a shuttle service to Winnipeg and passenger train. The former is “relatively expensive,” while the latter is often inconveniently timed, the mayor said.

A standard Kasper Bus Lines ticket to The Pas from Winnipeg on Dec. 3 cost $145, the company’s website showed Wednesday. The line travels through Mafeking, Swan River, Pine River, Riding Mountain and Portage la Prairie, among other communities.

Driving time to The Pas from Winnipeg is to take roughly six hours.

Kasper Bus Lines operates within Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. It counts roughly 40 employees, Wabinski said. He also heads the Coast to Coast Bus Coalition.

The Pas Mayor Andre Murphy didn’t immediately respond to an interview request. Murphy had previously called Mahihkan Bus Lines’ exit concerning, adding at the time he’d lobby the province for support.

In a social media post in August, Mahihkan Bus Lines cited ongoing market volatility, inflationary pressures and challenging economic circumstances as its reason for shuttering.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com