THUNDER BAY — Citing delays in getting equipment in place, Kasper Transportation has postponed the launch of expanded bus service to Winnipeg that had been scheduled to begin Oct. 31.
The Thunder Bay company in July announced it would implement Thunder Bay-to-Winnipeg service simultaneously with Greyhound's termination of its service in northwestern Ontario.
CEO Kasper Wabinski now says he hopes to commence six-days-per-week service between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, via Sioux Lookout, by about Nov. 15.
Currently, the company operates the Sioux Lookout to Winnipeg run three days per week, while Thunder Bay to Sioux Lookout runs every day except Saturday.
Wabinski said he will also expand service between Thunder Bay and Fort Frances from three days a week to five days a week on Nov. 15.
"That's been slowly picking up, with the mining activity," he said.
Kasper Transportation's other services include daily runs between Thunder Bay and Longlac, and daily between Thunder Bay and White River, where passengers can connect with Ontario Northland Transportation's bus service to the east.
The White River route, inaugurated in September, remains a work in progress, Wabinski said, with passenger traffic per bus topping out at four or five at most.
"I don't expect that bus to be full for another three or four months," he said. "New routes take time for the local community to get accustomed to."
For now, Wabinski plans to hold back on additional expansion in western Canada—such as Winnipeg-to-Thompson, Man.—where multiple providers are entering the market in conjunction with Greyhound's withdrawal from the four provinces.
"We're probably going to focus on increasing service in our region, because that's a prime goal. I personally want to see seven days a week on every route I have."
Wabinski added that he has only seen a slight increase in inquiries from passengers wanting to know about options in the wake of Greyhound's departure.
"In my opinion, it's normal that traffic is going to take a little to build up," he said. "When I first started to Winnipeg, it literally operated empty for the first two months. Now it's averaging seven, eight, nine, 10 people a day...Just because Greyhound is moving out, I don't expect a huge wave of people to pop in and say 'here we are, give us a bus.'"
