Highway3Connector to resume bus service
By Jensen, Randy on July 30, 2020.
Greg Bobinec
Lethbridge Herald
The widely used Highway3Connector service between Medicine Hat and Lethbridge will be resuming service, starting Aug. 4, following its suspension of services on June 1, to help flatten the curve of COVID-19.
“Highway3Connector is pleased to announce that due to high demand, we are set to resume our Medicine Hat and Lethbridge shuttle service on Aug. 4,” said Craig Loose, On-It Regional Transit director, in a news release. “When making the decision as to whether service would resume this year, the health and safety of our passengers and staff remained our top priority. We are fortunate to be able to draw upon the experience of successfully re-launching our On-It Banff/Canmore service in June and are incorporating many of the same protocols for Highway3Connector’s highly anticipated return to the road.”
With the health and safety a top priority, Highway3Connector has implemented enhanced cleaning and safety initiatives in response to COVID-19, with a few notable changes including mandatory masks for all passengers, physical distancing guidelines in place for the entire trip, thorough sanitation of buses and high-contact areas, along with hand sanitizer available on all buses for staff and passengers.
Highway3Connector has also made changes to its scheduling and stop changes in order to provide passengers with a more convenient ride, and now stops at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, Medicine Hat Mall, Pure Casino Lethbridge, Park Place Mall and Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.
Highway3Connector is accepting walk-on riders on a limited bases, but passengers looking to utilize the walk-on service must call 1-877-367-4933 to confirm walk-on availability ahead of their desired pickup time.
As Alberta continues to work through the stages of reopening, Highway3Connector is dedicated to providing passengers with a safe and affordable transportation along Highway 3. For more information on the services, schedules, stops and fairs of this service, visit highway3connector.ca.
Meanwhile, Red Arrow bus service resumed route service from Lethbridge to Calgary on June 11 with stops at Fort Macleod, Claresholm, Aldersyde and in Calgary at Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Downtown Calgary and Calgary International Airport.
Red Arrow and Ebus has also announced it will be increasing its luxury service between Calgary and Edmonton from once a day to three times daily, four days per week. This will allow Red Arrow passengers more convenient morning and evening service in addition to the current noon departure that has been running since July 6.
“Local travel between urban centres is still necessary for people to access medical appointments, employment, educational, training, and many other essential services,” said John Stepovy, director, Motorcoach for Red Arrow, in a news release. “Since we continue to exercise social distancing on board as part of our Safely Clean program and are not travelling with full coaches, we need to offer more schedules to accommodate the travel needs of Albertans.”
“I don’t believe that any other ground transportation company has responded as diligently and responsibly as we have to the COVID crisis,” added Matthew Cox, vice-president, Motorcoach, for Red Arrow. “With mandatory face masks, passenger screening, social distancing, and state-of-the-art electrostatic sprayers for cleaning, passengers can be confident that when they need to travel that Red Arrow and Ebus are responsible, safe, comfortable, and convenient solutions.”
Visit http://www.redarrow.ca for more information.
There’s another option for those heading north as Calgary company Snow Travels Inc. has launched a new passenger bus service. Snow Travel’s inaugural routes will run between Calgary and Edmonton (with a stop in Red Deer), Calgary and Lethbridge (with stops in Okotoks, High River and Nanton), Calgary and Drumheller and Calgary and Canmore (with a stop in Cochrane). The routes will be facilitated by three new buses, each with a maximum seating capacity of 24 people.
For more information and to see all available service times and routes, visit: http://www.snowtravels.ca/.
Follow @GBobinecHerald on Twitter
19-18
