bus
A TALE OF TWO BUSES: On the left is Powell River’s Sunshine Coast Connector, a private bus that runs between Powell River and Vancouver - though less and less as the company can’t afford to provide daily or even weekly service as a business. The next trip is in May 2021. On the right is BC Bus North, another private company that runs four buses constantly across Highway 16 in northern BC, but it’s subsidized by the Province and the Federal government.
Not enough Other BC regions have vibrant, publicly-funded inter-city transportation. Why not here? BY PIETA WOOLLEY
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rom Prince Rupert to Prince George, many different kinds of bus systems carry people where they need to go. For example, BC Transit serves the small regions – including the 231-kilometers covered by the Smithers system, from Kispiox to Burns Lake. The Northern Health Connections bus ferries seniors, people with out-of-town health appointments and others from Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Terrace and elsewhere all the way to Vancouver for between $10 and $40 (that is, $40 from Smithers all the way to Vancouver – an 1,147-kilomtre trip.) That bus service is subsidized by the BC Ministry of Health and the First Nations Health Authority, among others. The Ministry of Transportation funds 12 First Na-
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tions community vehicles which are operated by local nonprofits and agencies. Tying it all together is BC Bus North, a three-yearold private transit service that goes all the way from Prince Rupert, to Prince George, to Fort Nelson, to Valemont, subsidized at $2 million a year by Victoria and Ottawa. For $65 or less, you can get from city to city. It’s the only private bus company in BC that the Ministry of Transportation subsidizes. All of these efforts are coordinated by a five-yearold regional working group which includes BC Transit, Northern Health Authority, local governments, the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and of course the Ministry of Transportation. Together, they administer the Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan, ensuring safe, accessible rides are available over what is known as the ‘Highway of Tears,” a known site of
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many murders and disappearances, especially of First Nations women. Prioritizing safe transportation across the North should be a clear priority of government, and it is. But safe, accessible inter-city transportation should be achievable everywhere in BC. Here in Powell River, even transit within the region is spotty (see story on Page 34), and the private bus to Vancouver won’t start running again until May. Why is inter-city transportation so thorough elsewhere, and so inconsistent here, given that it’s largely paid for by the same governments? You’d think the goal would be consistency across BC. In an email from the Ministry of Transportation, the inequity is explained like this: “The Province consults with local leaders to determine how we can best support each region. Excavators Dump Trucks Slinger Truck HIAB Truck Quarry Rock and more...
Powell River Living • February 2021 •
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