Greyhound is Gone

[undercoverbrother]

https://globalnews.ca/news/4320944/g...canada-ending/

Greyhound Canada says it is ending its passenger bus and freight services in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and cancelling all but one route in B.C. – a U.S.-run service between Vancouver and Seattle.

I would use Greyhound a lot in my late teens and 20's to get around western Canada.

[Ozy_Flame]

Wow. That's surprising since Greyhound are usually full between Edmonton and Calgary. I used to take them (and the eBus) between cities regularly.

I hope the eBus doesn't become the new "dumping ground" for some of those Greyhound bus-goers.

[BlackArcher101]

One could say, they aren't willing to risk life and limb with mounting losses.

[Locke]

Wow. I mean, its been a long time coming, that company has been circling the drain for decades now.

My family has been involved with Greyhound for damned near forever, so in some ways, nostalgically, I'll miss it, but it still stands as the single worst job I've ever held in my life.

The Union, Management, the weirdos they hired and then protected, just awful all around.

So its no surprise to me, I thought their heavy subsidies for going to underserved rural locales would keep them rolling indefinitely but I guess that gravy train just pulled in to the end of the line.

[alan21]

With the discount flights that Flair air and Swoosh offer it probably cuts further into their market.

Dwight: Why do they call him The Bus?
Michael: Because he's afraid to fly.

[Hockeyguy15]

Now that they don't need the bus terminal, more room for Calgary Next. Right?


Guys?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Now that they don't need the bus terminal, more room for Calgary Next. Right?


Guys?

I came to say the exact same thing. Gotta put something there.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by alan21

With the discount flights that Flair air and Swoosh offer it probably cuts further into their market.

Dwight: Why do they call him The Bus?
Michael: Because he's afraid to fly.

Discount airlines can't beat $70 return trip between Edmonton and Calgary, as an example. But I imagine the longer distances you travel, the more appealing the airline is.

Even Red Arrow - at $140 round trip between Edmonton and Calgary - is cheaper than flying between the two cities.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Locke

I came to say the exact same thing. Gotta put something there.

A brand new 150,000 square foot Chicken on the Way. With a basement?

[burn_this_city]

What happens now if you get busted in rural BC going 40 over and they tow your car? Just stranded I guess.

[Mazrim]

This news isn't too surprising. When the only daily service from Calgary heading East on Greyhound leaves super late at night, it's not exactly appealing to the public.

Services like Prairie Sprinter have been taking advantage of the lack of Greyhound service for a while and will only continue to grow.

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

What happens now if you get busted in rural BC going 40 over and they tow your car? Just stranded I guess.

Get a ride with the tow truck?

[SebC]

So air travel is going to be the only way to get around half the country without a driver's license? I wonder if that's a situation that warrants government intervention.

[worth]

This is unfortunate news. In tons of communities, greyhound is the only way to get out. Not everyone has a car and not everyone has the cash to take a flight or get to a community that has an airport etc. I'm not surprised that it is gone, but it's just not great news.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by SebC

So air travel is going to be the only way to get around half the country without a driver's license? I wonder if that's a situation that warrants government intervention.

They've already been there and done that.

For a long time Greyhound has been collecting Government subsidies for serving rural locations, it just appears as though it isnt enough anymore.

Its the end of a cultural icon, but they've been desperately trying to go bankrupt for years.

[Ozy_Flame]

Am not sure what other options there are, but an inter-town bus modeled on the "Naked Bus" model in New Zealand, using a subscribed passport system or pre-packaged route pass, wouldn't be the worst option. Many people head back to their hometowns on the weekends to visit friends and family, so small town visits are often not "one-off" visits for most regular bus travelers (lots of commuter types). Have a pay-as-you-go option with card tapping or an app booking would also be a way to fill seats. Also allow Skip the Dishes to drop off food on the bus at the halfway/intermission point.

Feel like something might pop up in its place if something already hasn't.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Am not sure what other options there are, but an inter-town bus modeled on the "Naked Bus" model in New Zealand, using a subscribed passport system or pre-packaged route pass, wouldn't be the worst option. Many people head back to their hometowns on the weekends to visit friends and family, so small town visits are often not "one-off" visits for most regular bus travelers (lots of commuter types). Have a pay-as-you-go option with card tapping or an app booking would also be a way to fill seats. Also allow Skip the Dishes to drop off food on the bus at the halfway/intermission point.

Feel like something might pop up in its place if something already hasn't.

More than likely, but not to the same extensive degree that Greyhound served. Some smaller communities and their residents are going to be pretty drastically impacted by this.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

The company is blaming a 41 per cent decline in ridership since 2010, persistent competition from subsidized national and inter-regional passenger transportation services, the growth of new low-cost airlines, regulatory constraints and the continued growth of car ownership.

LOL, that's too bad for some people's narratives about cars out there...

[MRCboicgy]

You see this in the US, especially between big cities like Houston and Dallas https://us.megabus.com/ - the difference is they have the population density. But tickets start at $1.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

You see this in the US, especially between big cities like Houston and Dallas https://us.megabus.com/ - the difference is they have the population density. But tickets start at $1.

Right, okay, have you ever taken the Greyhound?

I've taken it from Calgary to Vancouver and Calgary to Toronto and Toronto to Windsor as well as a few times to Edmonton, Creston, etc.

Its a Hell on Earth that knows no equal.

Their sign over the main doors should read:

"Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here."