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Life After Greyhound


ns8401

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1 hour ago, Articulated said:

Off topic, but that looks like 760 or 761 in behind. Do they ever use them for anything other than training? My visit to Medicine Hat last year 760 was doing route training again.

That was 760. 761 was on the 41 right behind it. They are both in regular service, but 760 got a seat cut up on Sunday. Until the seat gets re-upholstered (remember the ETS upholstery is still underneath), it's on non-revenue duties.

See this document to see what buses were in service when (as well as some other things).

If you come here again in the future, download DoubleMap. It shows you what buses are out if you tap on the bus icons

Screenshot_20190416-183856.png

Edited by Imgursdownvote4love
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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

A fall update on the intercity bus story in Manitoba. Note, Kasper Transportation has dropped its Selkirk to Winnipeg route, NCN Thompson Bus has ceased operation of the Thompson to Gillam route, and Mahihkan Bus Lines changed the departure times on its Winnipeg to Thompson daytime route.

Once again, based on information gathered off of the individual bus company websites, here’s an updated overview of scheduled service in Manitoba as of 1 September 2019.

The following companies have also been observed in active service:

 

MAPLE BUS LINES - www.maplebuslines.com

Operates motor coach service out of 939 Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg

  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 9:00 PM - Ar. Thompson @ 5:45 PM - Sunday to Thursday
  • Lv. Thompson @ 10:00 PM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 5:45 PM - Sunday to Thursday

 

  • Lv. Thompson @ 12:30 PM - Ar. Cross Lake @ 3:40 PM - Monday to Thursday
  • Lv. Cross lake @ 4:00 PM - Ar. Thompson @ 7:00 PM - Monday to Thursday

 

  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 7:15 AM - Ar. Swan River @ 1:30 PM - Monday, Wednesday and Friday
  • Lv. Swan River @ 1:45 PM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 8:00 PM - Monday, Wednesday and Friday

 

NCN THOMPSON BUS - www.thompsonbus.com

Operates motor coach service from the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport:

  • Lv. Thompson @ 10:00 PM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 7:10 PM - Sunday to Thursday
  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 9:00 PM - Ar. Thompson @ 6:30 PM - Monday to Friday

 

  • Lv. Thompson @ 1:15 PM - Ar. Cross Lake @ 4:10 PM - Monday - Thursday
  • Lv. Cross lake @ 4:30 PM - Ar. Thompson @ 7:25 PM - Monday - Thursday

 

MAHIHKAN BUS LINES - https://www.mahihkanbuslines.com/home.html

Operates motor coach service out of 939 Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg

  • Lv Flin Flon @ 7:30 PM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 6:50 AM - Sunday - Friday
  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 8:30 PM - Ar. Flin Flon @ 8:30 AM - Sunday - Friday

 

  • Lv. Thompson @ 12:00 PM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 10:55 PM - Sunday - Friday
  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 12:00 PM - Ar. Thompson @ 9:25 PM - Sunday - Friday

 

HIGHWAY 6 EXPRESS - https://www.highway6express.com

Operates van service from the A&W across from Polo Park:

  • Lv. Thompson @ 8:00 AM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 4:30 PM - Monday & Friday
  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 8:00 AM - Ar. Thompson @ 4:30 PM - Sunday & Wednesday

 

BRANDON AIR SHUTTLE - www.brandonairshuttle.com

Operates van service the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport:

  •  Lv. Brandon @ 7:00 AM/ 10:00 AM / 2:30 PM
  • Ar. Winnipeg Airport @ 9:30 AM / 12:30 PM / 5:00 PM - Daily
  • Lv. Winnipeg Airport @ 11:00 AM / 3:30 PM / 8:00 PM
  • Ar. Brandon @ 1:30 PM / 6:00 PM / 10:30 PM - Daily

 

  • Lv. Dauphin @ 9:30 AM  / 1:30 PM - Ar. Brandon @ 11:30 AM / 3:30 PM - Daily
  • Lv. Brandon @ 1:30 PM / 6:00 PM - Ar. Dauphin @ 3:30 PM / 8:00 PM - Daily

 

KAPSER TRANSPORTATION - www.gokasper.com

Operates van service Balmoral Street stop in downtown Winnipeg: 

  • Lv. Winnipeg @ 7:20 AM - Ar. Sioux Lookout @ 2:00 PM - Daily
  • Lv. Sioux Lookout @ 2:40 PM - Ar. Thunder Bay @ 6:30 PM - Daily

 

  • Lv. Thunder Bay @ 8:30 AM - Ar. Sioux Lookout @ 2:00 PM - Daily
  • Lv. Sioux Lookout @ 2:50 PM - Ar. Winnipeg @ 7:30 PM - Daily

 

The Inter-city bus industry saga continues to unfold ... and a few pictures of the Greyhound replacement carriers.

Maple Bus Lines 7-56 - 5 August 2019.jpg

Mahihkan Bus Lines 65 - 5 August 2019.jpg

NCN Thompson Bus 4408 5 August 2019.jpg

Brandon Air Shuttle 20 - Winnipeg Airport - 7AUG2018.jpg

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7 hours ago, Shaun said:

It would be nice to have some subsidy if a company wanted to run a specific route. 

I mean even a few million dollars would go a long way. 

Would subsidizing a central terminal in say Winnipeg for everybody to come in and out of be beneficial to building service?

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  • 5 weeks later...
21 hours ago, ns8401 said:

The Depot In Courtenay, British Columbia is closing at the end of October. It is served by Tofino bus and also handles freight via box-by-bus which will cease service to Courtenay as well.

 

https://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/courtenay-bus-depot-set-to-close-in-october/

Tofino Bus was bought by Wilsons Transportation out of Victoria almost a year ago.They also operate BC Ferries connector and BC Connector bus. A lot of co are moving to online tickets..most operators that have replaced Greyhound have done just that. Cold Shot In Alberta is the only one with physical agents as they also handle freight too but they operate only their Edmonton terminals. All the rest are agency locations. VI Connector (Tofino Bus) also announced they are Closing the Parksville depot as of Sept 30 and Tofino  depot as of Oct 4 relocating it for ticket sales  to Tofino Resort later in Oct.

On 8/9/2019 at 6:10 PM, ns8401 said:

Not sure if we had this one but apparently Coldshot is going Edmonton to Calgary on highway 2A...

 

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/new-bus-service-for-highway-2a-coming-to-edmonton

Currently service is operating Mondays and Fridays only. Lv Edmonton 8am arr Calgary 130pm. Lv 230pm Arr Edmonton 750pm. Freight agencies are being set up and the freight service will operate Mon to Fri with passenger service expanding later on. Ridership has been decent too for the most part.

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I pasted the article text in this post because the details of this expansion are way too complicated to describe...
 

https://www.thereminder.ca/news/local-news/bus-company-may-begin-offering-flin-flon-routes-1.23964566

“Another company may soon be putting together bus routes servicing Flin Flon.

Maple Bus Lines, a Winnipeg-based company currently offering some bus transport routes in northern Manitoba, has reached a deal with Pimicikamak Cree Nation for the band to provide investment to the company.

According to Maple, the investment from the Pimicikamak band will allow the company to expand its existing northern services, increasing direct and charter bus services to Cross Lake and extending bus use to the west and to the north.

“The investment will allow Maple Bus Lines to add new direct bus and charter bus services to serve Cross Lake and other communities including The Pas, Flin Flon, Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake, Brandon and Westman,” reads a statement attributed to Maple Bus Lines.

“We’re also proud to play a part to deliver better transportation services across Manitoba’s north,” added Pimicikamak Chief David Monias in the statement.

The company currently operates passenger services six days a week between Winnipeg and Thompson, as well as four trips a week between Cross Lake and Thompson and three trips a week between Winnipeg and Swan River. Maple also provides freight services to Brandon and through southwestern Manitoba.

Currently, only one company - Mahihkan Bus Lines, formerly known as Kelsey Bus Lines - offers regular passenger bus transport service from Flin Flon. After Greyhound Canada shut down almost all of its western Canada operations in 2018, smaller companies have popped up around the west to serve areas in need of bus service.”

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  • 1 month later...

B.C. Transit has announced that ridership on its route from Penticton to Kelowna over it’s first two months was 1500.

https://infotel.ca/newsitem/new-penticton-to-kelowna-bus-route-attracts-1500-passangers-in-first-two-months/it68098

Meanwhile KCTI is starting a route from Prince Albert to Saskatoon:

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/kcti-to-open-bus-route-from-prince-albert-to-saskatoon

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On 11/30/2019 at 3:35 PM, ns8401 said:

B.C. Transit has announced that ridership on its route from Penticton to Kelowna over it’s first two months was 1500.

https://infotel.ca/newsitem/new-penticton-to-kelowna-bus-route-attracts-1500-passangers-in-first-two-months/it68098

Meanwhile KCTI is starting a route from Prince Albert to Saskatoon:

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/kcti-to-open-bus-route-from-prince-albert-to-saskatoon

KCTI is also starting a Saskatoon to Regina service and ironically their stopping outside the Robins Donuts where the OLD STC depot was in Regina.

This now makes 3 co on Saskatoon to Regina service. 2 on Saskatoon to Prince Albert also.

On 10/2/2019 at 8:44 PM, ns8401 said:

I pasted the article text in this post because the details of this expansion are way too complicated to describe...
 

https://www.thereminder.ca/news/local-news/bus-company-may-begin-offering-flin-flon-routes-1.23964566

“Another company may soon be putting together bus routes servicing Flin Flon.

Maple Bus Lines, a Winnipeg-based company currently offering some bus transport routes in northern Manitoba, has reached a deal with Pimicikamak Cree Nation for the band to provide investment to the company.

According to Maple, the investment from the Pimicikamak band will allow the company to expand its existing northern services, increasing direct and charter bus services to Cross Lake and extending bus use to the west and to the north.

“The investment will allow Maple Bus Lines to add new direct bus and charter bus services to serve Cross Lake and other communities including The Pas, Flin Flon, Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake, Brandon and Westman,” reads a statement attributed to Maple Bus Lines.

“We’re also proud to play a part to deliver better transportation services across Manitoba’s north,” added Pimicikamak Chief David Monias in the statement.

The company currently operates passenger services six days a week between Winnipeg and Thompson, as well as four trips a week between Cross Lake and Thompson and three trips a week between Winnipeg and Swan River. Maple also provides freight services to Brandon and through southwestern Manitoba.

Currently, only one company - Mahihkan Bus Lines, formerly known as Kelsey Bus Lines - offers regular passenger bus transport service from Flin Flon. After Greyhound Canada shut down almost all of its western Canada operations in 2018, smaller companies have popped up around the west to serve areas in need of bus service.”

One part that is very underserviced is Winnipeg  to Regina and Saskatoon, but well see if anyone picks that up come 2020.

On 10/1/2019 at 1:13 AM, ns8401 said:

The Depot In Courtenay, British Columbia is closing at the end of October. It is served by Tofino bus and also handles freight via box-by-bus which will cease service to Courtenay as well.

 

https://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/courtenay-bus-depot-set-to-close-in-october/

The Depot in Port Alberni also Closed Nov 30. Passengers for now are being pu at 7-11 just around the corner. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
14 hours ago, ns8401 said:

The Thompson Transit contract has been awarded to Maple Bus Lines, Service resumes January 2nd after a 6 month hiatus:

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/news/thompson/council-awards-transit-contract-to-maple-bus-lines-1.24038784

 

Either the other companies are charging too much or the company that won, under bid.  I guess time will tell if they can keep it going.  The cheapest provider is not always the best. 

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1 hour ago, roeco said:

Service will continue to be operated by Diversified Transportation. It sure would be good if they could work together with others, which currently they do not!

I’m really surprised Greyhound Canada didn’t establish interlining with these carriers the way they do on the US side of things...

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9 minutes ago, ns8401 said:

I’m really surprised Greyhound Canada didn’t establish interlining with these carriers the way they do on the US side of things...

Huh? Greyhound Canada's nearest service is several thousand kilometres away. How would any passenger (or parcel) interline between Greyhound Canada in southern Ontario and BC Bus North in rural northern BC?

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6 hours ago, DavidW said:

Huh? Greyhound Canada's nearest service is several thousand kilometres away. How would any passenger (or parcel) interline between Greyhound Canada in southern Ontario and BC Bus North in rural northern BC?

In the U.S. as routes were abandoned by Greyhound when other carriers took over or restarted service the carriers had or formed interlining partnerships that give Greyhound links to those places it no longer served. So you might have to string 10 carriers together to do it but it can be done. Seamlessly. On one ticketing system. It’s to the point here that I frequently have to correct people that they aren’t on Greyhound. Actually when they ask me how long I’ve worked for Greyhound I usually say “it’s my first day”...

The question in such as scheme is what’s going on as you get towards Ontario? Are there spots between BC and the current west end of Greyhound Canada where nobody has tried any kind of bus service? We know that in BC and Manitoba there are some efforts to bring some kind of service back. 
 

Even then they could have strung together what is there from Vancouver as far out as you could go as well in spots where carriers cross paths. The US also benefits from strong funding for rural intercity bus transportation by the state and federal governments which is something that for whatever odd reason Canada has no interest in.

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12 hours ago, ns8401 said:

In the U.S. as routes were abandoned by Greyhound when other carriers took over or restarted service the carriers had or formed interlining partnerships that give Greyhound links to those places it no longer served. So you might have to string 10 carriers together to do it but it can be done. Seamlessly. On one ticketing system. It’s to the point here that I frequently have to correct people that they aren’t on Greyhound. Actually when they ask me how long I’ve worked for Greyhound I usually say “it’s my first day”...

The question in such as scheme is what’s going on as you get towards Ontario? Are there spots between BC and the current west end of Greyhound Canada where nobody has tried any kind of bus service? We know that in BC and Manitoba there are some efforts to bring some kind of service back. 
 

Even then they could have strung together what is there from Vancouver as far out as you could go as well in spots where carriers cross paths. The US also benefits from strong funding for rural intercity bus transportation by the state and federal governments which is something that for whatever odd reason Canada has no interest in.

I suppose the situation in western Canada is quite different from the conditions you describe. There have been some carriers emerge to fill in a few of the links abandoned by Greyhound Canada, but nothing as coherent as an inter-provinicial route network. Rider Express seems to be struggling to pick-up the longer intercity, inter-provincial routes Greyhound abandoned. (And I don't know how others see Rider Express but to me they seem to be flying by the seat-of-their pants, haphazard, and just generally struggling.)

You still cannot take a scheduled bus service between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and service across northern Ontario, although technically possible, requires multiple changes of vehicle.  The government in BC, and the prior government in Alberta, offered some financial incentive for a handful of routes, but concentrating on shorter links.  I'd pick BC Bus North as the closest to a financially supported longer distance service. Saskatchewan and Manitoba both seem to have a hands-off provincial government policy towards intercity bus service (and it remains to be seen what the new Alberta government renews when existing operating subsidy agreements expire).

I suspect FirstBus (Greyhound) didn't initially through-ticket with BC Bus North because BC Bus North wasn't the outcome First was hoping for by abandoning those routes in northern BC.  I have a sense that by threatening to abandon selected services, and then the whole operation in western Canada, they were hoping to panic government to financially support intercity bus service (or, failing that, to get out of what they saw as unprofitable business).  It didn't work. Did First pick-up any paid contract work on former Greyhound routes?

In summary,

  • Spotty to non-existent government support.
  • No coherent network.

I think the situation in western Canada is lacking some key prerequisites for a through-ticketing discussion.

 

 

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12 minutes ago, DavidW said:

I suppose the situation in western Canada is quite different from the conditions you describe. There have been some carriers emerge to fill in a few of the links abandoned by Greyhound Canada, but nothing as coherent as an inter-provinicial route network. Rider Express seems to be struggling to pick-up the longer intercity, inter-provincial routes Greyhound abandoned. (And I don't know how others see Rider Express but to me they seem to be flying by the seat-of-their pants, haphazard, and just generally struggling.)

You still cannot take a scheduled bus service between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and service across northern Ontario, although technically possible, requires multiple changes of vehicle.  The government in BC, and the prior government in Alberta, offered some financial incentive for a handful of routes, but concentrating on shorter links.  I'd pick BC Bus North as the closest to a financially supported longer distance service. Saskatchewan and Manitoba both seem to have a hands-off provincial government policy towards intercity bus service (and it remains to be seen what the new Alberta government renews when existing operating subsidy agreements expire).

I suspect FirstBus (Greyhound) didn't initially through-ticket with BC Bus North because BC Bus North wasn't the outcome First was hoping for by abandoning those routes in northern BC.  I have a sense that by threatening to abandon selected services, and then the whole operation in western Canada, they were hoping to panic government to financially support intercity bus service (or, failing that, to get out of what they saw as unprofitable business).  It didn't work. Did First pick-up any paid contract work on former Greyhound routes?

In summary,

  • Spotty to non-existent government support.
  • No coherent network.

I think the situation in western Canada is lacking some key prerequisites for a through-ticketing discussion.

 

 

And that’s really surprising to me that the Canadian and provincial governments didn’t do more. The theory in the states is that rural residents need a safety net mode of transit and where practicable abandoned routes are reconfigured and put back into use  at a subsidy to make up the gap between revenue and profit. Part of the condition of the funding being provided is that the routes connect to the national intercity network. Does Greyhound Canada have any interlining partnerships with anybody in the east?

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  • 2 weeks later...
53 minutes ago, ns8401 said:

Ontario Northland is adding 6 day a week service from White River to Thunder Bay starting in April. They are trying to provide connections into Ottawa:

https://wawa-news.com/index.php/2020/02/12/ontario-northland-increases-services-to-thunder-bay/

Very interesting. Kasper Transportation currently operates along that corridor, connecting with the northbound Ontario Northland bus from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst. No connection is currently available to the southbound bus (which stops in White River at 7:10 am); wonder if this Ontario Northland service is to provide a new connection with the southbound, or compete with Kasper meeting the northbound trip.

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