By Charles Lefebvre

Local companies respond to Greyhound ending service

Jul 9, 2018 | 4:44 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Several local shuttle companies say it’s either too soon to speculate, or they don’t have a plan to expand passenger service in the wake of Greyhound’s departure in the fall.

Greyhound Canada announced Monday afternoon it is ending all passenger service in B.C. and the Prairies, citing a decrease in passenger demand.

“I am actually quite surprised,” said Isabel Hansen, co-owner of Prairie Sprinter. “They provided a service for many years, and we usually see the buses on the highway, they look pretty full. But, I guess on the other hand, I’m not too shocked, since they’ve been cutting services back over the years.

Sam Sayegh, owner of J&L Transportation, says he wasn’t surprised to hear about Greyhound ending service in the Prairies.

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“Any business, if it’s not profitable, it’s not profitable,” he said. “You just can’t keep going on.”

While both Prairie Spring and J&L acknowledged the end of Greyhound could lead to an opportunity for another transportation company to step up, there are no plans yet for expansion from their companies.

“We would just stay with Medicine Hat to Calgary, because we are quite busy with our charter work as well,” said Hansen. “We go anywhere in Alberta for charters, but to run all over the province isn’t what we’d be looking at at all.”

“Does that open up an opportunity for me to be making a route between here and Regina and here and Moose Jaw? Sure it would. But that costs a lot of money and it takes a lot of implement,” said Sayegh.

Traxx Coachlines declined comment, saying it was too soon for the company to be making a statement.

Red Arrow Coachlines also declined comment.

The last day for Greyhound service in the Prairies is October 31.