The Manitoba Motor Transport Board has approved a number of cuts in service proposed by Greyhound Canada, including two trips that pass through Fort Frances.
Paul Bock, owner of North Air Services here, said the seven weekly arrivals and departures between Fort Frances and Thunder Bay will be reduced to five while the 10 weekly arrivals and departures between here and Winnipeg also will be reduced to five.
This amounts to service cuts of more than 40 percent.
Two trips—the #55 and the #56—will be discontinued altogether. These are the two Winnipeg-Thunder Bay routes that pass through Fort Frances.
The three Winnipeg-Thunder Bay routes that pass through Kenora and Dryden will remain unchanged.
However, service between Winnipeg and Kenora/Dryden will be reduced three services per day in each direction, down from the current four trips per day.
The approved changes will take effect Aug. 15.
Bock said the changes may affect the local bus terminal’s hours of operation and staff scheduling, particularly since there likely will be more arrivals and departures in the morning rather than the afternoon.
Greyhound Canada also received approval for a number of route reductions and cancellations throughout Manitoba.
The bus company submitted its request for service changes late last year. The Motor Transport Board held public hearings in March and April in affected communities.
Manitoba law states the company must obtain permission for service reduction in that province, but no such law exists in Ontario.
The board also approved a two percent fare increase, with a 2.9 percent special fuel surcharge to be reviewed by the board at any time with respect to gasoline prices.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
