Dear Editor,

Greyhound bus lines are selling commuter tickets that are valid for six months. Upon exchanging tickets for cash they must honour the conditions of the sale.

Greyhound cannot decide arbitrarily and unilaterally at anytime within the six month period to refuse to accept these tickets because at moment Greyhound accepts the cash a binding contract has been made.

The law is the same in Canada and the U.S. on this point — our whole civilization since Greco-Roman times has been based on this idea of a binding contract. Currently some customers are told the Whistler-Vancouver and Whistler-Squamish commuter tickets are not being honoured and they must buy a regular ticket. Others have been told it will only be accepted after all others board with standard tickets. These tickets were not sold as standby only. Now a notice is posted at the Whistler Greyhound Station that the commuter tickets will not be honoured for the Month of December and the first week of January.

This is after months of refusing to let people off at the 40-year-old request stop at Nesters/ Spruce Grove and refusing to let people off with bags at The Petro Canada gas station in Pemberton.

I contacted a Jan Broocke, member of the Passenger Transportation Board, she directs the office not the board. She related that none of this information will be brought before the board, as its only relating to "Tickets & Rates" she said the Passenger Transportation Board is investigating the matter, then phoned back 15 minutes later and said there is no sanction as they are now promising to exchange commuter tickets. I also contacted a the Mininistry of Transport, which is trying to wash its hands of the matter. As Grandma would say, nobody is guarding the chickens.

It’s outside all logic and common sense how Greyhound can exclude commuter service for a month yet claim commuter protection for same service and the director saying the board should not be informed when they are making a decision about Greyhound's fate. Emma dal Santo of the RMOW went to the Whistler bus counter and was told there would be no trouble exchanging a commuter ticket for a standard ticket. Yet when my spouse asked on Friday, subsequent to Emma dal Santos visit, she was told she could only board if there is a seat left after all other regular ticket holders board. Its is ridiculous to expect people to commute or seek medical care, as my spouse, with what are essentially unilaterally downgraded to standby tickets. You don`t maybe go to work or maybe go to a medical exam.

I urge everyone who cares about their bus service to contact all levels of government. Tell your employer, the Municipality or Band where you live and where you work too, the provincial and federal ministries of transportation and health if you use these tickets to seek medical care, and labour if you use these tickets to commute, the Passenger Transportation Board, your MLA, MP and senators. 

Whistler Hotel Managers need to wake up; you will lose all your Squamish workers. If your workers cannot afford to pay for transport they won’t be coming to work, no way they are going to pay $32 or more a day to commute.

Myson Effa

Pemberton