Thompson Bus, the northern-based company that intends to fill the gap left by Greyhound when it stops running buses in Western Canada Oct. 31, plans to begin its limited service period in the two months up to that deadline by offering a similar schedule at similar prices.
A passenger and freight schedule produced by Thompson Bus, which announced its intention to begin offering bus service to and from Thompson in mid-July shortly after Greyhound said that it would stop running all its Western Canadian routes apart from one between Vancouver to Seattle, indicates that the new bus company intends to provide three buses each way per week between Thompson and Winnipeg initially.
Buses to Winnipeg will leave Thompson at 10 p.m. – the same time as Greyhound’s do – on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the limited service period leading up to Halloween, and cost $132.74. Greyhound’s regular fare for the same route is $130 plus GST, with a web fare of $108 plus GST and a refundable fare of $146 plus GST. Thompson Bus will charge $92.92 from Wabowden, compared to a regular fare of $108.30 plus GST on Greyhound and $127.30 plus GST for a refundable ticket, but very close to the Greyhound web fare of $92.80 plus GST.
Thompson Bus will also provide service between Thompson to Gillam five days a week at a cost of $57.52, similar to the Greyhound standard fare of $57.20, but cheaper than its refundable fare of $65.20.
Service between Cross Lake and Thompson will be provided four times a week by Thompson bus with a fare of $44.25, more than Greyhound’s $37.30 plus GST fare and about the same as its standard $43.30 plus GST. A refundable Greyhound fare between Cross Lake and Thomson is $50.30 plus GST.
Thompson Bus will provide service on 30-seat buses during the limited service period, leaving from the corner of Thompson Drive South and Cree Road with stops en route to Winnipeg at Wabowden, Ponton, Grand Rapids and Ashern, with B1 Sherwin Rd., slightly north of the airport, serving as its Winnipeg depot.
Ontario-based Kasper Transportation also intends to provide bus service between Winnipeg and Thompson after Greyhound stops doing so but has not announced schedule or pricing details yet.
Freight rates on Thompson Bus will range from $10 for an envelope to $45 for a large box, with miscellaneous items under 10 pounds charged $15 and those between 10 and 50 pounds costing $35.
