A company based in northwestern Ontario says it’s ready to fill some of the gaps in service left by Greyhound in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Kasper Transportation has a fleet of small vehicles seating between 14 and 40 riders.
The company was started in 2015 and operates on a ‘lower demand model’, because there is not a strong enough demand for full size coaches, said the company’s owner and founder Kasper Wabinski in a phone call with CTV News.
Wabinski said he was anticipating Greyhound would pull out of the market and already had licences in place.
“I knew it was going to come. In every industry, you hear the rumours,” he said.
“I had even contacted them about taking over some of the routes, but it didn’t go anywhere.”
Kasper adding routes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Kasper Transportation said starting Oct. 31 it plans to add routes linking Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, Winnipeg to Thompson and Winnipeg to Regina, Saskatchewan and Prince Albert.
Wabinski said he hopes to have buses making trips 5 to 7 days a week, and is also looking at having the company make trips to The Pas and Dauphin.
He said tickets for the new routes would be in the $90 to $125 range.
“We’re trying to keep it affordable and us in business,” he said.
Wabinski said his business is generating revenue right now, that it’s working to make sustainable earnings and is not receiving any subsidies.
“I think the government should make it easier for investors,” he said.
“My biggest trouble is raising capital,” he said the industry could be helped with taxes breaks and easier-to-acquire loans.
