District of Squamish council is opposing Greyhound Canada's application to the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) that would eliminate its bus service between Coquitlam and Pemberton.
Council also voted to send a letter of opposition to the Passenger Transportation Board, which reviews such applications, at a council meeting Tuesday (June 2).
"All local governments in the Sea to Sky received notice that Greyhound is moving towards eliminating some of its bus routes, but since that time there has been some constructive dialogue to mitigate the impact," said Mayor Greg Gardner.
Greyhound is proposing the elimination of the bus that leaves Coquitlam at 6 a.m. and picks up passengers in Squamish before arriving in Whistler at 8:30 a.m. and Pemberton at 9:25 a.m.
In an effort to catch commuter traffic, the bus then leaves Whistler at 5 p.m. and picks up Squamish passengers before arriving in Coquitlam at 7:30 p.m.
Since receiving feedback, Greyhound Canada has proposed eliminating only the Squamish to Coquitlam section of the route.
"The end result is that Coquitlam will not have a schedule from Whistler anymore," said Abby Wambaugh, spokesperson for Greyhound Canada.
Wambaugh said there are other routes, which passengers can take to get from the Sea to Sky to the Lower Mainland. She said Greyhound had to make some tough choices.
"We are eliminating this trip because of low ridership, and this is very difficult economic times not only for our business but the travel industry as a whole," Wambaugh said. "We are also applying to reduce frequency of some routes in other areas of the country."
As part of the application process, Wambaugh said Greyhound and the PTB are looking for feedback from the community before a decision is made.
Ralph Hughes, director of finance for the district, said staff has been talking with Greyhound Canada. The license requirements of Greyhound Canada stipulate that a minimum number of trips remain to serve Sea to Sky commuters.
At a board meeting last week, the Squamish Lillooet Regional District also voted to opposed the application. Area D Director John Turner said at the time that the service is important to the community.
He also said there has been discussions with Greyhound to get more bus services for areas such as Furry Creek, Porteau Cove and Britannia Beach.
In the meantime, Gardner said staff will send a letter expressing the sentiments of the district.
"I know there has been some progress made and it is my understanding they will not be discontinuing all of the bus services proposed," Gardner said.
