A grassroots bus service primarily based out of Kaslo, B.C. is giving free rides to anybody who needs to go from Osoyoos to Kelowna from Feb. 15 to 28.
The transportation enterprise – Mountain Man Mike’s – began in 2019 after the founder, Michael Hathaway, frequently participated in rideshare packages from Kaslo to Vancouver.
The route, from Osoyoos to Kelowna, is making a comeback after being suspended in September of 2021. And as a token of appreciation to the individuals who have used the service to get across the province for the final two years, Hathaway is offering free journeys to anybody trying to make a journey via the Okanagan.
“We started with one bus and now we have eight,” he stated.
“The ridership on the route was really low before. But now we’re bringing it back and we want to get people talking … any travel from Osoyoos to Kelowna will be free from Feb. 15 to 28.”
Before Mountain Man Mike’s was based, the proprietor would spend lots of the highway travelling across the province. Joining him on the B.C. roads can be folks needing to get round as a lot as he did.
“I was a rideshare provider for 12 years,” Hathaway defined. “I had a father who was sick and within the hospital and wanted to go Vancouver as soon as every week.
“When the Greyhound system dropped, I went from having two or three people to a waitlist of 20 people who wanted to go to Vancouver and that’s how the company started.”
Since then, the transit service has expanded with numerous new routes.
Among these is a visit from Vancouver to Calgary – a highway journey that can price an estimated $160, stopping as soon as in Nelson.
As the corporate approaches its three-year anniversary, Hathaway couldn’t be extra pleased with the service he and his crew have supplied.
“There’s one lady who’s always on the bus. She has family in Vancouver and doesn’t have a vehicle so she always ends up on my bus.”
@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
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KelownaOkanaganOsoyoosPentictonpublic transit