A long-distance bus service celebrated its first year in B.C Friday.
Ebus operates eight busses in the province between the southern interior and lower mainland, with stops including Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops.
Director of Sales and Business Development, John Stepovy said the company is pleased with how service has rolled out over its’ first year and that they are accomplishing slow but steady growth.
He said numbers vary during the year but they saw a significant increase in use of the service around the holidays.
“Over Christmas last year, I think we had 11 busses operating and we anticipate adding more schedules this Christmas as well. That's the great thing about his organization, we can meet capacity demands.”
Last month, the company added a stop in Salmon Arm to the bus route from Kamloops to Kelowna.
Stepovy said now they are focused on building their current routes before expanding to different communities.
“We get inquiries quite regularly from different communities around B.C but for us it's important to be sustainable. We don’t want to start something and then find out there's not enough ridership and leave,” said Stepovy.
Since Greyhound discontinued service in B.C last year, Ebus has filled in the gap.
The company aims get people out of their cars to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the roads.
They have operated in Alberta for 40 years, and according to Stepovy, their experience with extreme weather conditions makes them a reliable travel option for B.C residents.
“We have, unfortunately, no control over conditions but what we do have control over is our drivers and how we train drivers and their experience and the quality of our busses. Our busses are designed to be on those types of roadways,” said Stepovy.
Their busses are also fully equipped with washrooms and wireless internet.
The company encourages people to leave their cars at home, as Ebus offers a safe and comfortable alternative.