Hopes for a prompt return of highway passenger bus service in northern Saskatchewan are fading.
Two private transport companies have begun passenger service along former Saskatchewan Transport Corporation (STC) routes, but neither plans to run northern routes.
The two companies are Melville-based DiCal Transport and Regina-based Rider Express Transport. Each company will transport people using 15-seat vans.
DiCal, better known as a moving and freight company, will operate bus transport to Regina, Yorkton, Melville, Balcarres and Fort Qu’Appelle.
According to its website, DiCal plans to expand to a handful of towns north of Yorkton, including Canora, Kamsack, Preeceville and Sturgis, but has not announced plans for further northern expansion.
A trip on a DiCal van from Yorkton to Regina will cost passengers $56.95 each. DiCal began passenger service on July 10.
Meanwhile, Rider Express Transport has begun service between Saskatoon and Regina, hoping to expand to Yorkton, Estevan and Swift Current.
After starting service on July 6, Rider Express hopes to use Tim Hortons parking lots as arrival and departure venues.
Two other companies are still pursuing bus and van transport service, but neither are offering options for northerners.
Alsask Bus Services in Alsask, Saskatchewan and North Battleford company Crown Cab each received regulatory hearings for operating certificates in late June. Both are offering to run passenger bus services near the towns in which they are based.
Some companies that applied for operating certificates stated they would attempt to bring back provincewide bus service lost when STC closed in May.
The leading company that promised large-scale operations, Carpe Diem Limousine Services, withdrew its bid in June.
