Eighty three per cent of Greyhound routes that are set to disappear Oct. 31 will be covered by other private operators by the end of the year, the provincial government announced Oct. 29.
Passengers who depend on long-haul routes have been waiting to figure out what will happen next ever since Greyhound announced in September 2017 it will be terminating service across Western Canada starting Oct. 31 of this year.
The routes being terminated this week include six routes in the northern part of the province, one in the Lower Mainland and two on Vancouver Island. The government launched B.C. Bus North earlier this year to cover most affected routes in Northern B.C. but the remainder remain unfilled.
The provincial government announced in July of this year and it was scrambling to figure out ways to plug holes in the service. It said it is addressing the issue by fast-tracking the application process for private companies to fill the gaps, but it has yet to issue a request for expressions of interest for private companies to operate in B.C.
@EmmaHampelBIV
