Alberta government urged to help sustain, restore rural bus service

Five years after Greyhound pulled out of Western Canada, communities and bus providers in rural Alberta are asking the provincial government for help restoring or sustaining service for people who don't have access to their own vehicles. 

The City of Camrose is talking to the province about reviving the Camrose Connector bus, which provided transport to Edmonton between 2018 and 2021. 

The service, which was a partnership between the city and bus service company Red Arrow, was funded along with five other rural routes under a pilot project set up by the previous NDP government. 

Camrose city councillor Lucas Banack said the service was used by seniors, students and people who don't drive or can't afford a vehicle to get to medical appointments, services and shopping in Edmonton. He said it was devastating when the program ended.

"The connector was the only way that they could affordably get to their appointment," Banack said. "They were absolutely heartbroken when the connector was shut down."

According to city statistics, the bus logged 7,900 rides between September 2018 and March 2021. Ridership peaked at 566 riders a month.

Banack sits on the city's community transit advisory committee, which recently sent Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen a proposal to bring back the bus.

He plans to meet with Dreeshen at the Alberta Municipalities conference later this month. 

If approved, the new service would travel north from Camrose along Highway 21 making stops along the way, Banack said. 

"We've talked about it in our committee meetings about making sure that if this comes back that it is a service not just for the City of Camrose but for all Camrose County and everybody along that Highway 21 corridor," he said. 

Link for vulnerable communities

Students at the University of Alberta Augustana campus in Camrose are also involved in the lobbying effort.

Fourth-year student Jessica Andreas is president of the Augustana Students' Association. She said taxis from Camrose to Edmonton can cost up to $190 one way. She said not everyone can afford a car and students are often too young to rent a vehicle. 

Andreas said a bus is crucial for students to access medical appointments or receive services at the university's main campus in Edmonton.

Indigenous, international and LGBTQ students also need to go to the main campus to find peer support and safe spaces, she added, and students would appreciate it if the provincial government funded a bus route. 

"That's what the government is there for. It's to protect people when they are in need," she said. 

"It's giving us access to health care and to communities where we can feel safe."

Greyhound's decision to pull out of Canada is still having ramifications, particularly in rural areas. The House of Commons standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities studied the issue of intercity city bus transport last fall and this spring. 

The committee made seven recommendations in its report submitted to the House of Commons in May. It recommended the government expand to start allowing privately-run companies to access the Rural Transit Solutions Fund. 

Province non-committal

Edmonton-based Cold Shot Bus Lines took over 11 rural routes Greyhound Canada abandoned in 2018, many in northern Alberta. 

Like many businesses, Cold Shot took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the company to suspend five routes, said president and owner Sunny Balwaria. Recently, the company's costs have gone up due to inflation. 

Balwaria is asking the provincial government for help, arguing his buses are providing an essential service for people who lack other forms of transportation. He has requested $3.4 million in help over 12 months. 

"If you talk about northern Alberta, Cold Shot is the only bus provider, basically," Balwaria said. 

"There is no company to run Edmonton to Cold Lake and there is a reason behind it because the ridership is not enough."

Balwaria has sent letters to mayors of the towns and cities that his bus lines service asking for their support. They include the mayors of Peace River, Athabasca, Cold Lake, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. 

In January, Balwaria was told that the province has no programs to fund privately-run bus companies but said the previous transportation minister had been talking to the federal government about expanding access to its Rural Transit Solutions Fund. 

Jesse Furber, press secretary for Dreeshen, said the government is still reviewing the 2018 Rural Transportation Pilot Program, which also funded five services in addition to the Camrose Connector. 

"The federal government recently announced the $250-million Rural Transit Solutions Fund, as part of its public transit funding framework," Furber wrote. "We are committed to working with our federal and municipal partners to support public transportation for rural and remote communities."