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The last Greyhound Bus left the Kelowna terminal today. Kelowna also saw debut for Ebus which is now offering twice-a-day service from Kelowna and Kamloops to Vancouver.
In an interview at KelownaNow, Ebus spokesperson John Stepovy said his company will not be able to replace the service that Greyhound has provided to many communities over the decades. But for the locations Ebus does plan to serve, the company hopes to attract customers that haven't considered it in the past.
The new Ebus service launched this morning. "We had a first trip leave the Kelowna airport, said Stepovy, "and we had some people arrive from Kamloops and Vernon into the airport and we had about 15 people or so leave the airport heading to Vancouver."
Stepovy said people are pleased.
"It was good for the first day. People are happy to see our service."
The buses are designed with the corporate traveller in mind. Stepovy says his company will be working to convince members of the business community to consider taking one of their coaches. He said they're comfortable, they're better for the environment, and with wifi, they often make more sense than driving.
"When we're travelling for two, three, four hours, that's two, three, four hours of unproductive time."
Ebus is currently looking for suitable places for drop-off and pick-up in downtown Kelowna and West Kelowna. Passengers are also able to book ahead for service in Vernon.
Three other companies are also picking up some of the pieces left behind by Greyhound's departure from the region.
Silver City Stage Lines will be operating between Kelowna and Nelson, Victoria-based Wilson's Transportation will operate between Vancouver and Kelowna and Merritt Shuttle Bus will operate a service between that community and Kelowna.
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