Greyhound Canada wants to make more cuts to services in the Sea to Sky corridor, this time by reducing the number of stops between Vancouver and Mount Currie.
The bus company has applied to the Passenger Transportation Board to eliminate "route points" for dropping off and picking up customers throughout the region. The application was posted on the passenger board website on June 26.
They want to eliminate 30 stops on 11 routes in British Columbia. Of those 30 cuts, 11 are on the Sea to Sky corridor's S1 route. Signs about the changes went up in Greyhound depots around the region on June 27.
Greyhound wants to eliminate route points at Horseshoe Bay and Sunset Beach in West Vancouver, Lions Bay and Furry Creek.
In Squamish, there would be one currently unnamed general stop for the community, with stops in Dentville, Garibaldi Highlands and Brackendale being axed.
In Whistler, there would be one currently unnamed general stop in the community, with Function Junction, Twin Lakes, Whistler Creek, Whistler Village, Alpine Meadows and Emerald Estates being cut.
The other communities, including Pemberton and Britannia Beach, are not impacted.
Squamish's mayor, Rob Kirkham, said: "District of Squamish staff have had no input into proposed changes by Greyhound since the Transportation Board approved the service level cuts last year. We have not been asked for input on these further cuts, but will be responding during the comment period to express concern on any further reduction in regional transit service."Greyhound Canada did not return calls on Thursday, June 27.
In its application to the passenger board, Greyhound referred to route cuts made throughout the province in March this year, stating that they would not be cut further:
"(Greyhound Canada) has determined that a minor 'clean-up' of its BC Transportation Licence is required so that its BC operating licence and its actual scheduled operations in the province more align. Further, so as to not have to file more than one 'clean-up' application, GCTU has undertaken a review of all its BC licenced routes and identified 15 route points for elimination where passenger traffic is either minimal or non-existent."
The company also referred to its introduction of their streamlined Greyhound Express service on three routes in B.C., including Vancouver-Whistler.
Jan Broocke, the director of the Passenger Transportation Board, said in an interview that public comments are welcome until Wednesday, July 10.
"The application removes the requirement that Greyhound must go to those route points, but they can also increase the service as they need to," Broocke said.
"On the S1 route they will still have to stop somewhere in the resort and in Squamish but they will decide where the pick-up points are."
Public comments can be sent to the Passenger Transportation Board until July 10. Quote "application 142-13 and route S1". Address: Passenger Transportation Board, PO Box 9850 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, B.C., V8W 9T5, fax: 1-250-953-3788, or email: ptboard@gov.bc.ca.
More to come...
