Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
September 19, 2017 - 4:39 PM
KAMLOOPS - City council is divided on whether to speak up about Greyhound's plans to cut some service in and out of Kamloops.
Council voted three to two in favour of sending a letter to the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board outlining concerns it has about the move.
Coun. Donovan Cavers moved the motion after a letter from the Passenger Transportation Board was read to council. The letter explained that bus service is being cut and asked for comments regarding the proposal.
"I think they basically have a monopoly on intercity bus service and the reason for that is they have to deliver a minimum level of service," Cavers said as he tabled the motion. "Any reduction in the number of buses that run... is a bad move."
Coun. Tina Lange explained why she feels the city should just stay out of the matter.
"I see this as a private company that's having difficulty staying viable," she says. "So to say 'you must continue to operate at this capacity or these hours or this many kilometres' is not being fair to the company. I feel terrible for the people that are suddenly going to be cut off because this is their only access... but people obviously aren't using it."
Lange says she is a regular Greyhound customer and will be feeling the hit herself once the changes go through, but she worries about what could happen down the road if Greyhound were made to do something that is not making them money.
"We can force them to continue with this service and see the whole company go under then the government has to take over because somebody has to get people around," she says.
Coun. Pat Wallace echoed Lange's opinion that it isn't right for a municipality to try and tell a company what to do. However, Singh and Coun. Dieter Dudy agreed with Cavers, allowing the motion to pass.
Greyhound wants to reduce service in the Thompson-Okanagan citing lower passanger numbers and financial losses.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017