Inter-city bus companies in Alberta ask province for help as fears of business exodus grow

Rural travellers who rely on buses to get from one community to the next might be left high and dry.

The owners of three of Alberta’s main inter-city bus lines say they could shut down as early as Christmas.

“We did our best to sustain the last seven months; now is the time to ask for help if we are not to completely close the doors,” Cold Shot Bus Lines president Sunny Balwaria said.

In a news conference Thursday, the owners of Cold Shot Bus Lines and J&L Shuttle Services expressed their concerns.

They say none of the funding from the Federal Safe Restart Agreement added to the province’s $1.1-billion stimulus package will go to bus lines servicing rural Alberta.

They added that $70 million in federal funds was earmarked for only in-city transportation.

“Zero dollars were provided to the inter-city operators and basically rural Alberta was not a part of their priority system,” said Stuart Adams, spokesperson for both bus companies.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Zero dollars were provided to the inter-city operators and basically rural Alberta was not a part of their priority system," said Stuart Adams, spokesperson for both bus companies.

The owners sent a letter to the province in May asking for financial support, but say they were denied and were instead encouraged to defer loans and take advantage of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Business Account, programs they already take advantage of and say aren’t enough to stay afloat.

“We cut down almost 50 per cent and obviously the people in rural Alberta who connect with the major cities will find difficulties,” Balwaria said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We cut down almost 50 per cent and obviously the people in rural Alberta who connect with the major cities will find difficulties," Balwaria said.

Global News reached out to the minister of transportation, whose office confirmed that a subsidy for inter-city bus services is not coming. That’s a response the bus company owners say is not good enough as they continue to service rural areas.

“We are an essential service for our community,” J&L Shuttle Services owner Sam Sayegh said.