by Craig Gilbert | [email protected]
Looking for a place to stay in Jasper? You’re not alone: even Greyhound Canada has entered the fray.
Brad Welch oversees about 50 Greyhound locations in Northern Alberta and B.C. He said at a Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 6 that the lease the company holds at the train station has expired, and he’s looking for a business in town to co-locate the local agency.
“I’m looking for a partner.”
He said just seven of his agencies are standalone, and they’re all in larger centres. The Edson station, for example, is housed in a hotel.
Reached in Dallas, TX by email, Greyhound spokesperson Lanesha Gipson elaborated.
“We plan to continue serving the community and providing a great travel experience for our customers,” she wrote. “We have no immediate relocation plans at this time. However, we will provide an update once one is available.”
Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce general manager Pattie Pavlov said Jasper businesses make use of the Greyhound freight service.
“It would be great if they had a partner that operated 24 hours, that would be conducive to business,” she said. “The most comforting is that they’re not withdrawing service. It would be great if they enhanced their service here. That would make things easier in terms of finding a partner.”
The company won the right to cut seven routes in nearby northern British Columbia in February. Routes including Prince Rupert to Prince George and Prince George to the Alberta border could be slashed as early as April 1.
“We regret having to do this and appreciate the Board’s acknowledgement of the difficult circumstances under which we’ve been operating over the past several years,” a Greyhound executive said late last month.
