BC Bus North schedule changes take effect Monday

Schedule changes go into effect Monday for the BC Bus North service
that travels from Prince Rupert to Prince George

The twice a week Highway 16 bus service operated by Pacific Western Transportation on behalf of the provincial government,  is set to change their schedule of operations for the winter season.

The adjustment to the schedule will mean earlier arrival times in Prince George and Prince Rupert for travellers, as the service looks to keep as much of its driving to take place in daylight hours.

The schedule for BC Bus North still calls for 8AM departures eastbound from Prince Rupert and westbound out of Prince George, but now the buses will arrive at their destinations at 7:25 each evening.

As a result of that change, some of the layover times at stops along the way will be shortened.

The schedule changes also take place for some of the other routes of the BC Bus North system, you can review those changes from the bus service website here.

The BC Bus North leaves Prince Rupert on Fridays and Sundays the fares for travel as far as Smithers cost 35 dollars, for those travelling through to Prince George the cost is 45 dollars.

The service also provides transportation to Valemount, Mackenzie, Dawson Creek Fort St. John and For Nelson.

Now that Greyhound has exited the Western Canadian market, travel by Bus across the province is an evolving process, with some areas of the British Columbia still facing transportation challenges with no bus service in place to take over from the now abandoned Greyhound lines.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena recently outlined that steps are in place for coverage of 83 percent of all bus routes in the province, with work still underway to address the lack of service for the remaining seventeen percent.

“For so many British Columbians, reliable bus service is critical for work, family life, health care and so much more. I’m pleased that private bus operators have stepped up and worked with us to make sure British Columbians will continue to travel around our province safely and affordably.”

“Our government is going to work hard to make sure no communities or people are left behind, Reliable bus service is critical in making sure people feel secure in the communities they call home.”



Some of those applications are currently in front of the Passenger Transportation Board, which is expected to move quickly towards approval of the the proposed services.

Earlier this week, North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice offered up an update on the list of transportation initiatives that have been put in place across the Northwest, highlighting the BC Bus North and BC Transit inter community services now in service.

For more items of interest related to the highway 16 corridor see our archive page here.