Bus company plans to fill void left by Acadian

A P.E.I. company is looking to step up and replace much of the Maritime intercity bus service currently being offered by Acadian Lines, which has said it is shutting down its business at the end of November.

Trius Tours owner Mike Cassidy is preparing a pitch for Maritime governments in the hopes his company can reach a deal that will allow it to operate a profitable intercity bus service in the region.

In announcing the end of its service, Acadian said it had lost millions of dollars. Government regulations require it to operate on low-traffic routes alongside the more profitable ones.

Cassidy believes with some changes to government regulations, allowing a mix of companies to cover the region, profitable business is possible.

"I think there is a huge opportunity for what I call the shuttle-van service thatoperates within the Maritimes, along with a motor coach operator that would have the larger units on the larger ridership routes," said Cassidy.

Cassidy's proposal would see smaller companies with smaller vehicles filling in the low-traffic routes.

Trius is already operating tour buses in all three provinces, and the municipal transit service in the Charlottetown area.

Cassidy said he's had preliminary discussions with the Nova Scotia Board of Public Utility on his proposal.