Greyhound bus service to continue for now
Altona biggest urban centre with no bus service
Posted By Greg Vandermeulen
Posted 17 days ago
We are committed to develop made-in-Manitoba options in the short term and we will continue to impress upon the federal government that national support is needed to fully maintain the level of service that currently exists in our province and across the country. - Ron Lemieux
There will be no disruption of bus service in Manitoba, although route and schedule changes are likely according to former infrastructure and transportation minister Ron Lemieux after meetings with Greyhound on Oct. 28 prompted the commitment.
Greyhound threatened to pull their service from the province if the provincial government did not step up with funds to help them.
Although the types of solutions have not been made public, Lemieux said something will be done.
"We are pleased that Greyhound has agreed to work on options to keep buses running in the province, despite the significant financial challenges facing the company," he said. "We are committed to develop made-in-Manitoba options in the short term and we will continue to impress upon the federal government that national support is needed to fully maintain the level of service that currently exists in our province and across the country."
Greyhound issued a statement saying changes would be made.
"Both the government and the company agree that some combination of direct investment and reduction of service will be required," the statement said.
What this reduction could mean has not been made clear.
Altona lost their battle to retain bus service in April, 2005, giving the community the distinction of being the largest urban centre in Manitoba without bus service.
The closest bus service for Altona residents would be Winkler.
Currently Emerson and Morris have what Greyhound calls a "bus stop" designation.
That means both communities have what the company describes as "limited scheduled service and no ticketing, baggage or package express service."
Despite the uncertainties, the official provincial line is that all will be well.
"We have full cooperation from Greyhound and it has the same from the province," Lemieux said. "I look forward to our discussions and I am confident we can come to a reasonable resolution that works for both Greyhound and the citizens of Manitoba.
