The bus will keep stopping in Sicamous.
Greyhound service will be moving from the current location on Finlayson Street to the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce Visitor Centre in the Parkland Shopping Centre. The change comes into effect on June 26.
According to Sheila Devost, the chamber of commerce’s executive director, the previous operator of Sicamous’ Greyhound service is retiring and the chamber stepped up to ensure the bus still has a place to stop in Sicamous.
After it became clear that buses would no longer be able to stop at their present location, Devost said the chamber contacted Greyhound, which said no one else had come forward about continuing the service in Sicamous.
“I thought it was a great idea for us, because we’re located in the mall,” Devost said.
Devost added the chamber will be open more frequently to sell tickets and handle the shipping of packages than the hours offered by the previous proprietor.
She said five buses will stop in Sicamous during a 24-hour period; three will be within regular business hours and the other buses will stop at 1:30 and 6:30 a.m. Greyhound will provide the equipment and training necessary to sell tickets and ship packages.
According to Devost, a lot of Sicamous seniors use the bus to travel to other communities and parcel delivery is also an important service for the community.
Those getting on or off the bus will be able to patronize the businesses located in the Parkland Shopping Centre. Devost said both the owner of the shopping centre and the neighbouring businesses were consulted and are in favour of the bus stopping nearby.
“It’s always good for businesses to have more people coming to your space. It’s kind of a win-win for everybody,” she said.
Along with the benefits for nearby businesses, Devost said that taking over the Greyhound operation could improve other aspects of the chamber’s visitor centre service. With the help of summer students, the visitor centre is open longer hours for the tourist season.
Devost said she hopes the centre will be able to stay open for longer hours through the rest of the year, thanks to the added revenue and responsibility that running the Greyhound service will bring.
@SalmonArm
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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