By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
A grassroots drive to bring intercity coach bus service to the South Okanagan made its way to the Town Council of Oliver, seeking a letter of support to restore the missing transportation link.
The presentation from John Cowan, a resident of Penticton and retired Canadian Pacific train conductor, explained the process that has led to this push.
It began with local residents in online forums, including Facebook groups, complaining about having to drive or be driven up to Kelowna. That is the city where coach bus operators such as Ebus provide service from, to the Lower Mainland and other destinations.
The idea of bus service to the South Okanagan was borne out of necessity, when the Coquihalla Highway forced the route to be diverted through Penticton. Cowan says he contacted Ebus to confirm the diversion, and then again to see if it was an idea Ebus would plan on investing in.
Ebus declined at the time, citing a longer travel duration, leading Cowan to begin gathering support for Penticton bus service.
“They haven’t had anything since the demise of Greyhound,” Cowan recalls telling Ebus, referring to the fact that coach bus service has not operated in the region since 2018, when the lone provider, Greyhound, pulled out of operating in Western Canada.
“I don’t do well when people say ‘no’ to me, and (Ebus’s rejection) just emboldened me to go further. And so I met with your counterpart, (Penticton) Mayor Bloomfield, and some of the other City Councillors. They weren’t too sure they wanted to get on board at first, but I convinced them to.”
In this proposal, Ebus would offer one trip per day, in either direction on its Vancouver to Kelowna service. Cowan has previously presented to Penticton and Summerland, among others, looking for letters of support for an intercity bus line. Councillor Petra Ventimilla asked for clarification on how Oliver’s voicing of support would be helpful.
“So you’re just looking for letters of support from us, and the other various Councils, to lobby a private business,” Veintimilla said.
Endorsements from Councils in the region, Cowan explains, primarily from Penticton City Council but also from Councils in other municipalities like Oliver, would be critical. Not only would it convince Ebus to provide a route that connects Penticton with Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, but it would provide them with support to convince the provincial Transportation body, says Cowan.
“If (Ebus is to) decide that they’ll do this, it’s not a case of they can just start running the bus tomorrow. They’re regulated… by the BC Transportation Authority. So they would have to go to them, apply for a licence, and that would take time.
“To convince the BC Transportation Authority to give them that licence, Ebus would want to have as many letters of support to show the Transportation Authority that having this route re-routed is going to be an asset to the communities.”
The plan won the support of Mayor Martin Johansen, who lamented the lack of coach bus service since Greyhound’s exit.
“It’s a valuable asset to provide transportation to residents,” Johansen said. “Without Greyhound services, we’re really lean down here.”
While the route itself wouldn’t serve Oliver, the local BC Transit service provided to and from Penticton would cover the “last mile” aspect for people who are unable or unwilling to drive to their bus connection.
Those who do still drive, Cowan noted, would see much shorter commute times than they currently do heading to Kelowna, at about 40 minutes to Penticton compared to the 80-minute trek to Kelowna.
Following Council’s vote to support the initiative, the focus will now shift back to Penticton, where Cowan says their CAO is involved in the efforts to bring bus service to the region.
