Rider Express granted new Okanagan, Trans Canada runs
Oct 14, 2021 | 11:27 AM
James Peters
KELOWNA — (NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated Rider Express would not be able to transport passengers between Enderby and Salmon Arm. That incorrect information came directly from the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB). The PTB reached out to CFJC Today after the story was published to correct their earlier misstatement.)
Regina-based coach company Rider Express has had its application to move passengers in the Okanagan and the Trans Canada corridor approved — but only in part.
The company already provides daily service between the Lower Mainland and the Alberta border through Kamloops. It applied to the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) last December to add a daily route between the border and Penticton through the communities of Salmon Arm and Enderby.
Several competitors objected to the application, saying the routes in question are already saturated with providers, including small, local companies that could be pushed out of business by the larger Rider Express buses.
The PTB split the difference, granting Rider Express permission to run another route along the Trans Canada Highway between Salmon Arm and the Alberta border, as well as permission to add a route between Kelowna and Enderby.
However, Rider does not have permission to use this route to pick up passengers in Salmon Arm, altering its plan to run passengers from the Okanagan all the way through to the Trans Canada corridor.
The PTB notes Ebus offers service between Kelowna and Salmon Arm, and B.C. Transit offers service between Enderby and Salmon Arm.
Read the decision:
