Yet another company is looking to capitalize on Greyhound pulling passenger and freight service from Grande Prairie and western Canada. Red Arrow says it will be launching daily service between Edmonton and Grande Prairie on October 14th.
“Grande Prairie’s a route that’s well-travelled and over the years we’ve had actually many requests by the community to Red Arrow to look at servicing that community and the timing just seems to make sense and we’re pretty excited,” says Director of Business Development John Stepovy.
Red Arrow currently services Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Camrose, Cold Lake, Lethbridge, and Fort McMurray. It considers itself to be a luxury service with leather seat, free WiFi and snacks, and Stepovy says they hope to capture new riders, in addition to those who already rely on Greyhound.
“Especially in the winters on the highways, they can be tough. We’re looking at the existing market, but we think too that there’s an opportunity for people in these communities to make that decision to leave their vehicle at home.”
The route will take people from Edmonton to Grande Prairie, stopping in Spruce Grove, Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt, Fox Creek, and Valleyview along the way. It would then return the same day.
A price point hasn’t been set, but Stepovy expects it to be similar to the Edmonton – Fort McMurray route, which is $94 for an adult. Stepovy adds the frequency of trips could also increase with demand.
“We hope that the community accepts it.”
Since Greyhound’s announcement, two other groups have said they plan to provide bus service to Grande Prairie. Local agents currently working at the Greyhound depot say they have joined forces with Coldshot Courier Services out of Edmonton to do so in November, and Northern Express Bus Line added the route in early August.