THUNDER BAY – Shane Beauvais was part of Thunder Bay transportation history on Tuesday.
The Calgary resident, en route to Ottawa, was among the final passengers to travel through Thunder Bay by Greyhound bus, arriving in the city on the last scheduled bus, months after the company announced it would no longer run routes west of Sudbury.
It was a bittersweet morning for Beauvais, who landed in the city in darkness, as the sun began to peek its way above the Sleeping Giant, a dark red sky scorching the horizon, the east-bound bus slightly behind schedule.
“I don’t feel it’s a good thing,” he said. “I’ve used Greyhound since I was really young and once Greyhound goes, it’s going to be hard for me to get from Calgary into Ontario to visit family,” he told Thunder Bay Television.
Beauvais said in his opinion, the routes should remain in place.
“I think they should stay open and I think maybe our government should work with them because Greyhound, it’s our trusted bus line throughout Canada. Sometimes companies need help.”
As for getting back to his adopted Alberta home, Beauvais said he’ll have to resort to the tried and true of sticking out his thumb along the Trans-Canada highway.
“I’ll probably hitchhike,” he said. “I can’t afford the plane fares, train fares. That’s why I take Greyhound.”
The decision to shutter its bus services in western Canada was made in July by Greyhound officials.
The company at the time cited declining ridership in rural communities, more competition from subsidized national and rural carriers, along with regulatory constraints.
"Despite best efforts over several years, ridership has dropped nearly 41 per cent across the country since 2010 ... Simply put, we can no longer operate unsustainable routes," said senior vice-president Stuart Kendrick in July.
The move leaves two million passengers with fewer transportation options, although a regional carrier, Thunder Bay’s Kasper Transportation has stepped in to fill the void, offering service between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg and westward to Saskatchewan.
Greyhound employees were told by company officials not to speak to media about the shutdown.
