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By Shaun Penner

Red Arrow hoping new departure times can increase ridership

Mar 8, 2019 | 4:30 AM

Red Arrow is hoping that by adding an extra service between Grande Prairie and Edmonton, ridership numbers will increase.

The coach line is extending its service to the Swan City starting today, to now include a bus that leaves the Podollan Inn and Spa at 9:30 a.m., in addition to the bus that leaves for Edmonton at 6 p.m. daily. The service will also have a bus leaving Edmonton for Grande Prairie the same day, at the same times.

Red Arrow has been servicing Grande Prairie with a route between here and Edmonton since November. Director of Business Development for Red Arrow John Stepovy is hoping that the new route can make the route more sustainable.

“Ridership has been…. Okay on the corridor,” said Stepovy. “We’ve got quite a bit of feedback from the community, and area, for earlier service times for people to come in and get a few things done in the hopes of getting back the same day to Grande Prairie.”

The bus will continue to make its regular stops in Valleyview, Fox Creek, Whitecourt, Mayerthorpe and Spruce Grove during all trips. Stepovy notes that the company is always open to increasing the routes that service the Peace Region, but the company wants to see sustainable growth before any decisions are made.

“It’s easy to say ‘Yeah, from Grande Prairie we can go to Dawson Creek, to Fort St. John and to High Level’,” said Stepovy. “But we need that base ridership to be sustainable on the Grande Prairie to Edmonton corridor, because that is what is going to allow for further expansion.”

Stepovy also notes that taking the bus to and from Edmonton has it advantages over flying or driving. All Red Arrow coaches come with Wi-Fi, on-board movies, satellite radio, as well as complimentary snacks and refreshments. Unlike flying though, he adds that riders can still use their cell phones during the trip.

Red Arrow is not the only bus line serving the area, as Cold Shot also offers daily service to and from Edmonton, as well as offering service to Peace River.

by Shaun Penner