Subsidies and 'circles on a map': Washington State offers advice on post-Greyhound bus service
Using federal money, Washington manages network of private bus companies to serve rural areas
B.C., along with other western provinces, is looking for a solution to provide intercity busing after Greyhound announced its pending departure from Western Canada.
In Washington State, a similar problem unfolded in 2005 and a state official wants B.C. to consider its solution: subsidizing private bus companies.
"We've been pretty happy," Washington's department of transportation manager Don Chartock told Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk about the approach.
"I really think it's important, especially for our older adults who are aging in place in rural areas.
"We want to make sure that these folks have access to the rest of the world around them."
Chartock said the subsidy emerged when Greyhound was cutting service in much of the rural U.S.
State officials looked for communities, or groupings of communities, that had populations of just over 10,000 people. That, he explained, would be large enough to justify bus service in their areas.
"We ended up drawing circles on a map."
The state put all the desired routes out for bids, which led to mostly smaller charter companies putting in offers.
There were conditions. The companies were ordered to be part of a central ticketing system as well as make route information visible on services like Google Maps.
They were also required to make their routes link up with other routes so riders could make connections and avoid long layovers.
"That's a lot of the legwork we do, is making sure it's not fractured," Chartock said.
The companies "make a little bit of a profit," according to Chartock. He added state analysis shows tickets pay for about half the cost of running the routes. The rest comes from a subsidy, provided by the federal government, which amounts to $2 million each year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when asked this week about providing federal subsidies to private bus companies, said he has asked federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau to find solutions.
B.C. Transportation minister Claire Trevena told CBC this week that "nothing is off the table" when it comes to options for replacing Greyhound service.
Saskatchewan, however, ended its provincial bus service in 2017 saying it cost taxpayers $17 million per year.
Listen to the full interview:
With files from CBC Radio One's Daybreak North