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Bus line to launch route from Winnipeg to Flin Flon
SEVERAL northern Manitoba communities will have another option for bus travel to Winnipeg come spring.
NCN Thompson Bus Lines announced Monday it will launch a regular route from Winnipeg to Flin Flon through Dauphin and The Pas beginning April 1.
The company also announced its investment in The Pas via a bus terminal building it has purchased and is redeveloping in the town — its third facility in the province, including Thompson and Winnipeg.
NCN Thompson is investing more than $1.5 million to upgrade the building and expand its fleet this year, according to Siddharth Varma, co-owner and chief operating officer.
The company has aspired to offer passenger bus service up the western side of the province since it started in 2018, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans, he said.
The expansion will add regular Monday to Friday daytime passenger service that will connect Flin Flon, The Pas, Swan River, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg. Freight pickups and drop-offs will also be available along the entire route, along with final mile deliveries.
“We believe community members need something reliable, long-lasting and feasible, so we are here to facilitate that,” Varma said.
NCN Thompson has not finalized the ticket pricing yet, but they “will be very affordable and competitive in nature,” he added.
The expansion will create jobs in northern Manitoba. Seven new staff based in The Pas — four bus drivers, two bus depot staff and a mechanic — have already been hired.
The announcement of NCN Thompson’s Winnipeg to Flin Flon route comes two-and-a-half months after Kasper Bus Lines, an Ontario-based company, launched a regular route from Winnipeg to The Pas through Dauphin.
Transportation between northern Manitoba and southern Manitoba is vital, according to Andre Murphy, mayor of The Pas. Some community members don’t have their own vehicles, so they use the bus for medical travel and to connect with their family and friends.
“Adding NCN is just going to expand that service level and fill that need that much further,” Murphy said.
“We’re very happy with NCN. We’re very happy Kasper Bus Lines has joined us and this is a critical service that’s needed in northern Manitoba.”
Kasper Wabinski, president of Kasper Bus Lines, doesn’t anticipate NCN Thompson’s new route impacting his business.
“People know what we’re known for: safe and reliable transportation. I’m going to continue to offer a dependable, safe service,” Wabinski said.
Varma founded NCN Thompson Bus Lines with James Pelk in 2018 to service Manitoba communities along Highways 6 and 280 after Greyhound ended its Manitoba routes. The company’s registered business name is Thompson Bus and Freight.
NCN Thompson is partnered with Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), a First Nation in Nelson House, about 80 kilometres west of Thompson.
The company has been accused in the past by customers and former staff of running its buses with little heat in the middle of winter.
Varma said Monday that while the company has had “some hiccups” in previous years, he and his colleagues are serious about the safety, security and comfort of NCN Thompson passengers.
The company runs its buses 365 days a year, making close to 700 trips between Winnipeg and Thompson annually that transport more than 33,000 people, he said.
“Yes, a couple of times we had issues and there have been negative social media posts in the past, but we are giving a lot of serious effort and investment toward making sure the buses are safe and secure and they have operational heat,” he said.
By the end of February, NCN Thompson will have added five buses to its fleet, Varma added. Each bus carries around 50 passengers. Two of the buses are 2020 models and three are brand new 2025 models.
Details about the new routes will be available on the company’s website soon, Varma said.
Kasper announces Winnipeg to Thompson service
HOURS after NCN Thompson Bus Lines publicized its Winnipeg to Flin Flon route, Kasper Bus Lines announced Monday on its Facebook page that it will offer a Winnipeg to Thompson route starting in the next month.
The service will run Sunday to Friday and cost $100-$130 per ticket, according to Kasper Wabinski, who owns the Ontario-based company. The 30-passenger buses will include bathrooms, Starlink internet access and USB chargers.
Kasper Bus Lines joins NCN Thompson and Greywolf Bus, which launched Dec. 26, 2024, in offering service from Winnipeg to Thompson.
“Thompson was always part of the expansion plan,” Wabinski said, adding that he wants his company to service all of Manitoba.
“I think it’s an appropriate day to make the announcement.”
Kasper Bus Lines operates within Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. It has 42 employees and will add at least eight more in the coming months, according to Wabinski, who also heads the Coast to Coast Bus Coalition.