The Watch
LATITUDE
THE
RURAL ROUTES A Highway 2 Connector bus is framed by the Saamis Tepee in Medicine Hat.
WHERE GREYHOUNDS USED TO RUN Over six months ago, Alberta’s last Greyhound bus made its final run—from Calgary’s 16th Street terminal to downtown Edmonton—ending almost 90 years of operation in the province. But without the iconic city-to- town-to-town-to-town-to-city service, what affordable transportation options are there for rural Albertans? Market conditions and competition were at least partially responsible for the death of the dog, but a growing number of alternatives have nonetheless popped up. Government of Alberta (GoA) funding is, in some cases, providing a push-start. The most recent is a new bus service linking Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, along with nine rural communities between them (Taber and Coaldale, for example). The two-year pilot began in mid-April with $700,000 of funding from a GoA grant program. The provider is Southland Transportation. The same government initiative is behind other pilots in rural Alberta, including a shuttle called the Camrose Connector. It began operating in the fall, getting the locals to and from Edmonton with some help from Red Arrow—the company that was well established as a higher-end alternative when Greyhound stopped
serving Alberta. Grande Prairie’s County Connector hit the road over the winter, linking the city transit system to surrounding communities. A new company called Cold Shot is also filling some service gaps throughout the province with low-cost alternatives to Red Arrow. And Red Arrow itself hopes to gain some market share left behind by Greyhound. The line added a route between Grande Prairie and Edmonton last fall and has expanded its schedule already. Red Arrow’s sister company Ebus—a value-brand that began serving Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary in 2011—added a route last fall between Edmonton and Fort McMurray. All this means that rural passengers in some locales are finding new ways to get to that city job interview or pick up groceries in a nearby commercial area. But the options are decidedly limited and patchwork. No single company is offering comprehensive service throughout Alberta, and there are no guarantees that the new routes are long-term.
SUMMER 2019 PEG | 35
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