Transport board defends cuts to Greyhound service in BC; says demand not there

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The agency that regulates inter-city bus service in B.C. is defending a decision to approve major cuts in Greyhound service in the province.

The Passenger Transportation Board is allowing the company to reduce service by about 25 per cent, which has triggered concerns in smaller B.C. communities.

Board chair Don Zurowski says Greyhound successfully proved it’s losing millions of dollars in B.C. because the passenger demand is not there.

Clearwater Mayor John Harwood calls the cuts disastrous, and says rural communities were never consulted.

He says the board needs to lift Greyhound’s virtual monopoly on interior highways, but Zurowski says no such monopoly exists.

He says other operators are welcome to step in and apply to fill the void that Greyhound will be leaving. (CFJC)