A subsidiary of Greyhound Lines Inc. looks to wheel back into Vernon. FlixBus is preparing an application to the B.C. Passenger Transportation board to extend its “comprehensive intercity bus service” throughout the province. Andrew Miller, senior manager of public affairs for FlixBus, wrote the City of Vernon seeking support for the company’s application, and received that support unanimously from Vernon council at its regular meeting Oct. 14 (Coun. Teresa Durning was absent from the meeting).
“This represents an opportunity to advocate for improved transportation options for your constituents,” said Miller, seeking a letter of support for the application which he will receive. The proposed service for FlixBus would bring regular daily connections through Vernon, said Miller, “linking your residents to Kelowna, Kamloops, Vancouver, Calgary, Seattle, and beyond.” The service would begin operating one month after the provincial passenger transportation board grants approval.
The vehicles, he said, would be “modern and accessible, stopping in your community.” “This would provide your residents with direct connections to major centres for medical appointments, educational opportunities, and business travel, while also opening Vernon to increased tourism and economic activity,” said Miller. The FlixBus spokesperson added in his letter, the passenger transportation board “has consistently emphasized that local government perspectives carry particular weight in their deliberations.”
Greyhound stopped bus service in Western Canada in 2018. Since then, Ebus has been serving Greater Vernon and North Okanagan residents. Ebus runs under the auspices of sister company Red Arrow, based in Alberta, the province where Ebus launched in 2011, and in B.C. in 2018. On its website, Ebus says it provides “Albertans and British Columbians with economical, efficient, and safe transportation. We offer an extensive network of scheduled routes for reliable transportation across the two provinces.” Bus passengers using Ebus in Vernon are picked up and dropped off at the Esso Station on 32nd Street.
