THUNDER BAY -- Competition from some government-subsidized services and from unlicensed operators has helped to kill the last scheduled bus route run by Thunder Bay-based Caribou Coach.
The company has stopped its once-a-week run between Fort Frances and Thunder Bay, citing declining ridership.
Owner Sandy Smith told tbnewswatch.com "When you're only running up and down the highway with two or three people, it simply is no longer viable."
Caribou launched the service—previously provided by Grey Goose, then Greyhound—a decade ago with five runs per week, then gradually reduced the service until it became a Tuesday-only run last February.
However even that minimal level proved to be a money-loser, "without folks using the service and without the government assisting in any way," Smith said.
He said the only thing that kept routes going over the years was the personal finances of him and his wife. "We'll never see that back. And we finally had to say 'We can't keep footing the bill for services across northwestern Ontario'. "
Caribou also used to operate between Fort Frances and Kenora, between Kenora and Red Lake, and between Thunder Bay and Longlac.
Smith said bus operators across Canada are being challenged to continue in the face of decreasing ridership.
The problem is exacerbated in northwestern Ontario, he said, by government-subsidized shuttle services operating out of some communities, and by the presence of unregulated providers.
"You can find them just about anywhere. Somebody's posting for rides to take people to town for groceries or for medical. They'll take money for that which means they are running a business."
Smith said the Ontario Highway Transport Board is supposed to regulate highway passenger service, but the province "refuses" to deal with unlicensed operators.
He also pointed to competition from shuttles operating out of Terrace Bay, Atikokan and some First Nations' communities "with folks in them who would normally be using a bus service."
According to Smith, these are services that receive financial assistance from the federal or Ontario governments.
Dropping the Fort Frances route leaves Caribou operating its six-bus fleet exclusively as a charter service.
Atikokan native Kelly Haney is now stepping into the breach on Highway 11, offering a minivan passenger service linking communities west of the city to Thunder Bay, the operations base for his company, Kelly Coach.
