The winding down of Greyhound is causing grief in every direction across the prairies, rural B.C. and northwestern Ontario.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is asking Transportation Minister Marc Garneau to look for an answer.
This is not only a passenger service; there are small-town businesses that depend on Greyhound to deliver products.
And it goes deeper.
The lack of transportation has been cited as just one reason there are so many missing and murdered Indigenous women.
If not enough people are riding those big buses to make a profit, or if ridesharing means too much competition, maybe they just need smaller buses or even vans.
Maybe the indigenous community could make an investment and even use their own drivers.
There should be no issue with the provinces and Ottawa teaming up to finance new transportation on the rural routes.
They already do it for the cities. I think about that every day when I see the LRT go by at noon with three cars carrying about six people.
That’s our tax money at work.
I hope the prime minister is successful at coming up with a plan to save lives and livelihoods, so we don’t have to sit through another of his famous apologies.
Let me know what you think.
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations.