By Andru McCracken
Roger Nadeau, the co-owner of Thompson Valley Charters Ltd. a charter bus service based in Kamloops, is looking for support from the Village of Valemount and other municipalities for a bi-weekly bus service from Kamloops to Alberta, potentially going as far as the Edmonton International Airport.
Nadeau said that while the exact route isn’t yet known, the need for a regularly scheduled bus service to Alberta is clear.
Nadeau said that an Alberta-bound bus would leave Kamloops at 1pm and pick up passengers at 5:30 pm in Valemount.
“The proposal is a run from at least Kamloops to Valemount,” he said.
He’s hoping to start the service by April, but he’s waiting for word from the Passenger Transportation Board.
“I’ve been at this process since last August. The government seems to be dragging their feet. It is something that is needed,” said Nadeau.
At last week’s council meeting, the Village of Valemount agreed to send a letter of support.
“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of people that need to have this service,” said Councilor Hollie Blanchette.
Councillor Sheri Gee said that it was worth noting there is currently no passenger service to Alberta because VIA Rail isn’t running.
Nadeau is looking for widespread support to convince the Passenger Transportation Board to move ahead, which is why he approached Council.
He said that Kamloops and North Thompson have been in dire need of an interprovincial bus since Greyhound removed their services in 2018.
