An effort to get a bus service connecting Prince George to the Lower Mainland continues to struggle to get on the road.
In October, the provincial Passenger Transportation Board granted Merritt Shuttle Bus Services Ltd. permission to establish a long-haul route from this city to Langley, as well as to the Southern Interior but the proponents have been unable to raise the cash they need to start the operation.
"We are sorry to say that our funding just seems to be a huge roadblock for us right now...we have had some investors show interest but no one wants to commit yet," co-owners Gene Field and David Brule said in a Dec. 21 posting on Facebook.
A letter-writing and e-mailing campaign to convince municipalities, First Nations and the provincial government to help out has fallen flat, they added.
"The government has refused to even try to provide some funding for us, despite every one's best efforts.
"We thank you for your patience and efforts though. We have had many people phone/email the government offices on our behalf and we are so thankful."
They remain hopeful, however, saying they know how much the service is needed.
"Basically at this point we need an investor or two to come forward. We will make it worth their while, that's for certain."
Through an expedited process following Greyhound Canada's decision to pull out of Western Canada, the company won permission to run eight 22-passenger shuttle-sized buses along four routes centred on Merritt but also serving Prince George, Langley, Kamloops and Kelowna.
Under the terms the PTB has set out, frequency of service along those routes must be at least three round trips a week.
MSBS also won permission to run four 48-passenger buses twice a day between the Highland Valley Copper Mine and Merritt and Kamloops.
Neither Field, who is the operations director, nor partner David Brule, who is the marketing director, have previous experience in operating bus services. Their backgrounds include experience in the military, security and retailing.
