B.C. Transit is looking to pass the steering wheel to Greyhound to fill the void left by the upcoming cancellation of the Squamish-Whistler commuter bus.
With the current service ending on Sept. 30, the provincial Crown agency is in negotiations with the private company to align its morning schedule with the former service, said Manuel Achadinha, B.C. Transit president and CEO.
"We have been talking with Greyhound for the last 2 1/2 months," he told Squamish council at its Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 20). "The biggest challenge we had with them was the morning and trying to see if there is an option for them to deliver an earlier run."
When taking into consideration Greyhound's discounted books of tickets, the company already provides lower fares than the public bus at no cost to taxpayers, Achadinha said. Sold in packs of 20, a single Greyhound ticket to Whistler costs $6.18 - $1.02 less than the commuter service. B.C. Transit is suggesting the District of Squamish (DOS) purchase ticket books and resell them individually.
"Our target is to have an option done by the end of October," Achadinha said. "We are meeting with Greyhound in a couple of weeks. I don't think we are going to get an answer from Greyhound in at least six weeks."
The Squamish-Whistler commuter bus is too inefficient to runs as is, he noted. Forty-six per cent of the seven-year-old service's approximately $900,000 bill was covered by B.C. Transit, with Whistler and Squamish splitting the remainder. But last year, Whistler pulled its funding, leaving Squamish to cough up an extra 27 per cent.
The service was subsidized to the tune of $15 per ride, which is four to six times more than conventional transit, Achadinha said. Whistler's move to abandon the partnership and fuel prices contributed to a 60 per cent increase in fares, he noted.
"We put in a six per cent increase [for fuel] last year and it has been more like 18 per cent," Achadinha said.
B.C. Transit is recommending the DOS market northbound commuter options to the public at a total cost of $40,000 per year. That would cover information session on alternative transportation - such as the Jack Bell Ride Share program, which is partially funded by B.C. Transit. The money would also fund an open house on the future of Squamish routes, Achadinha said.
If Greyhound doesn't pick up on business opportunities from the cancellation of the Squamish-Whistler commuter bus, someone else will, Mayor Greg Gardner warned. In a few days there will be 60 to 70 people looking to spend money, he added.
"I can't think of any better marketing data than that," he said.
Gardner suggested the municipality put a smaller portion of what the DOS was paying to keep the commuter bus running toward enticing Greyhound to fill the vacant time slots.
Although it could be an option, B.C. Transit wants to exhaust every opportunity before using taxpayers dollars, Achadinha said.
Gardner told Achadinha council would have to see a solid marketing plan before committing any money toward would could potentially be advertising for the private sector.
Gardner had sharp words on B.C. Transit's timeframe to roll out Squamish's new local transit plan. Almost a year ago, Crown agency officials told the district that a full review would be completed on the town's system. Achadinha's presentation placed the implementation of recommended service changes in September 2012.
Achadinha replied the analysis is complete and that all that is left is to take the ideas to the community.
"I think we can do it quicker. I think the schedule is long, but we do want to give you a worst-case scenario," he said, noting that the local plan can probably be put in place next summer.
