Thompson to play host to competing bus services following Greyhound exit

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This article was published 10/08/2018 (2232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Thompson bus company created ahead of Greyhound Canada’s impending departure has announced its schedule Thursday for routes between the northern city and Winnipeg, Gillam and Cross Lake First Nation.

Thompson Bus, a venture started by two managers of a local car dealership in July, will begin service on Sept. 1, barring any licensing or mechanical issues. Sid Varma, a co-owner of the company, hopes to offer full service by Nov. 1, the day after Greyhound is scheduled to terminate the routes his company aims to adopt.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the company will offer mostly overnight and early morning trips between Thompson and Winnipeg, making stops in Wabowden, Ponton, Grand Rapids and Ashern. The cost for a single trip between Winnipeg and Thompson is set at $132.74.

Four days each week, buses will go between Thompson and Gillam, with stops in Split Lake, Keeyask, and Long Spruce (full trip: $57.52); and service will be offered between Cross Lake and Thompson four nights per week, stopping in Jenpeg and Wabowden (full trip: $44.25).

The company has purchased two buses, which accommodate 20 to 30 passengers, and has hired two drivers, including one who drove for Greyhound. Varma said he is waiting for licensing approval from the province, but anticipates his company’s affairs should be in order by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, a competitor from Thunder Bay, Ont., is biding his time before officially starting up in Thompson. Kasper Wabinski, 29, the owner of Kasper Transportation, told the Free Press Friday he’s received licensing approval to begin servicing the Thompson routes, but will wait until Greyhound is officially out of the market to get any buses on the road.

Wabinski said his company, which plans to announce its schedule by the end of the month, will offer Thompson to Winnipeg service six days each week, and plans to expand into Flin Flon and The Pas.

For a single trip between Winnipeg and Thompson, Kasper will charge $130, offering discounts for seniors, students and children, with infants riding free. Four drivers have been hired to drive the Thompson routes, he said. Kasper’s buses will also seat 20 to 30 people.

In September 2017, Kasper started operating a Winnipeg to Selkirk bus months after Exclusive Bus Lines suspended the route and a year after Beaver Bus Lines did the same.

Almost a year after his buses began driving in Selkirk, Wabinski says he’s still losing money on that route and has invested nearly $300,000 so far. He’s spent $200,000 ahead of the Thompson launch.

He said the early returns in Selkirk don’t concern him and that he expects a similar lag in Thompson. “I expect [both companies] will be operating at a loss,” he said, referring to his own operation and Thompson Bus.

Wabinski said his company will offer rides during the daytime and was critical of Thompson Bus’s nighttime offerings, citing concerns over driver and passenger safety. Varma said his company did a survey of nearly 400 Thompson bus users which showed residents preferred an overnight schedule, adding that the company treats passenger safety with the utmost concern.

When asked about potential driver fatigue, Varma said the company will hire more drivers should the need become obvious. He also said if passengers prefer daytime trips, he and his business partner will consider changing the schedule.

Wabinski’s only concern for business in Thompson is whether residents accept his services over a locally-owned option. Varma acknowledged Kasper had more experience in bus management, but trusts Thompson Bus has an edge due to their understanding of the local market.

“We have two players here, which is good for customers,” Varma said. “Healthy competition is always good for the market.”

“I don’t think competition will be too good for them,” said Wabinski, who said it takes time to sort out all the kinks on bus routes and that he would be willing to join forces. “I’m willing to lose money for a bit. Are they?”

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca