Province seeks to fill remaining gaps left by Greyhound

THE Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is requesting expressions of interest (RFEI) from interested parties to provide intercity bus transportation for eight route segments in B.C. that remain unfilled, following Greyhound’s withdrawal of service from British Columbia on October 31.

The purpose of the RFEI is to gauge interest from private sector operators, non-profit societies, community agencies, local governments, Indigenous communities or other interested parties to provide innovative and flexible ground transportation services. Responses to this RFEI do not replace the need for interested parties to apply to the Passenger Transportation Board for an intercity bus licence: http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/rpt/

The routes that the ministry is currently seeking expressions of interest for are as follows:

* Cache Creek to Kamloops on Highway 1

* Kamloops to Valemount on Highway 5

* Valemount to B.C.-Alberta border on highways 5 and 16

* Dawson Creek to B.C.-Alberta border on Highway 2

* Salmo to Creston on highways 3 and 6

* Cranbrook to the B.C.-Alberta border on Highway 3

* Fort Nelson to the B.C.-Yukon border on Highway 7

* Hope to Princeton on Highway 3

The ministry said it moved swiftly in B.C. when Greyhound announced its departure by fast-tracking applications from companies interested in providing service on abandoned routes. This has resulted in 83% coverage, thanks to private operators throughout the province.

The ministry remains a part of continued discussions with the federal government and other provinces and territories as part of an interprovincial working group to find a long-term viable solution to ensure people in B.C. have access to safe and reliable ground transportation.

The submission deadline for interested respondents is January 15, 2019.

 

To view the BC Bid posting, visit:

https://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/open.dll/welcome?language=En