March 15, 2012
New Rules Would Help Sustain Bus Service on Key Routes Between Towns, Cities
– – –Changes Designed to Ensure More Flexibility for Carriers: Ashton
The province will amend the rules governing scheduled intercity bus service that would help sustain the service for Manitobans on key routes and offer greater flexibility for carriers, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton announced today.
The proposed changes would allow intercity bus companies to respond to market demands, provide new operators easier access to the market and help give providers, such as handi-vans, more flexibility in the type of service they provide, Ashton said.
“We have committed to making changes so that privately run bus service is more sustainable,” Ashton said. “We have also been approached by a number of companies interested in providing service for Manitobans under a new regulatory framework.”
For the past couple of years, the province has partnered with Greyhound Canada to maintain service on non-profitable routes until a long-term solution could be developed.
The current service maintenance agreement with Greyhound will expire March 31. To ensure an orderly transition, the province has entered into a final service maintenance agreement that requires Greyhound to maintain its current service levels until July 1, when new rules will take effect and new carriers are able to enter the market.
Intercity bus service is important for many Manitobans, particularly those in rural and northern Manitoba, Ashton said. Stakeholder consultations held in 2010 identified regulatory changes as a possible solution to sustaining intercity bus service in the province, he added.
The province’s review of its intercity bus regulatory framework was also based on Manitoba’s participation in a federal/provincial/territorial intercity bus services task force. Some provinces have already made changes and others are reviewing their intercity bus rules.
“The current system overseeing bus service between cities and towns in the province is not sustainable and after consulting with numerous stakeholders, including Greyhound Canada, we know change is necessary,” said Ashton. “We want to ensure the changes will benefit Manitobans well into the future.”
The new rules would not only make it easier for new private-sector carriers to enter the market, but also create the opportunity for community-led, non-profit delivery of passenger services, Ashton said. The province will hold consultations with organizations representing northern, rural, First Nation and Métis communities to determine their interest in establishing inter-community transportation services on routes where private-sector services might not be available.
More details on the regulatory review and consultations are available at www.gov.mb.ca/mit/intercitybus/index.html.
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