North Okanagan not panicking
Darren Handschuh - Jul 16, 2018 - Biz Releases

Image: Contributed

While some smaller communities in Western Canada are reeling from the news Greyhound will cease operating at the end of October, two North Okanagan communities are taking it in stride.

Earlier this week, Greyhound announced it was ending its passenger bus and freight services in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and cancelling all but one route in B.C.: a U.S.-run service between Vancouver and Seattle.

Armstrong Mayor Chris Pieper said he has not heard any comments about the closure from the public.

“I haven’t heard anything from anybody to tell you the truth. Service has been dropping over the years so I think people were expecting it,” said Pieper, adding Armstrong residents can take B.C. Transit to Vernon and Kelowna if they want.

He admits losing the bus service will be a burden for people who want to travel farther than that, but so far no one has contacted his office with their concerns.

A little farther along Highway 97A, Enderby Mayor Greg McCune said people are not panicking.

“I think we are going to wait and see if the federal government bails them out,” said McCune. “There’s talk of that right now. The company has struggled for many years and I think there will be a lot of opportunities for local bus companies like A1. I’m sure they are already figuring things out.”

McCune said “you have to wait and see” and he expects another company will fill the gap.

“They will figure something out,” said McCune. “I think the biggest hit will be the freight. There are a lot of companies that use them to transport products and tools. But I think that need will be covered.”

Pieper agrees some companies will be inconvenienced by the routes ending, but he pointed out there are a number of other courier businesses that can fill the void.

CMC Manutech in Enderby has been using other courier services since Greyhound closes its Enderby terminal several years ago.

“We’re not willing to drive to Vernon or all the way to Salmon Arm to pick up a parcel. We used to do a lot of business with Greyhound but we have been slowly changing,” said Brenda Walker, with CMC.

Walker said several customers want Greyhound door-to-door delivery, but opt to go with another carrier when it is explained there is no Greyhound parcel service in Enderby and an extra charge would have to be applied to drive to Vernon or Salmon Arm to put the package on a bus.


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