Charity flight service sees heightened interest in wake of Greyhound closure

A national charity flight service in B.C. said it has seen heightened interest ever since Greyhound ended passenger bus service in Western Canada on Oct. 31.

Hope Air provides free flights to low-income Canadians who need to travel for medical appointments. The organization mostly supports residents living in rural areas who need to access urban centres.

While many private passenger bus charters are replacing former Greyhound routes in B.C., several small communities have been left without any intercity public transportation.

For example, the route along Highway 3 from Hope, B.C., to Princeton — which also passes through Keremeos and Penticton — remains unserved.

Seniors in Keremeos lamented the lack of affordable transportation options to Vancouver, where some travel for medical care and specialist appointments.

WATCH BELOW: Hope Air celebrates successful fundraising campaign

1:32 Hope Air celebrates successful fundraising campaign

Hope Air CEO Doug Keller-Hobson said residents have reached out to the charity expressing concern.

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“Each region will have to address it as best they can, and with the offer of federal interim financing, (whose) details have yet to be released, the gap may be, to some degree, alleviated,” he said in an email.

“Overall, the key issue of access to health care when such specialist care is concentrated in large urban centres is a genuine and real issue… especially for low-income families living in rural B.C. or otherwise a long distance from the large urban centre,” he said.

Hope Air serves Okanagan patients from the Kelowna International Airport. The charity said it has provided over 1,000 free flights to area residents in 2018.

2:05 Last Greyhound to roll through Penticton today; lack of replacement strands passengers in South Okanagan, Similkameen

WATCH ABOVE: Last Greyhound to roll through Penticton today; lack of replacement strands passengers in South Okanagan, Similkameen

One of those patients is West Kelowna resident Rob Jackson. He is recovering from oral cancer surgery.

“They have helped me get to two of my cancer follow-up appointments in Vancouver. If not for Hope Air, I wouldn’t have been able to get to them,” he said in an email.

For more information on the charity, click here.