A grassroots bus service based out of Kaslo, B.C. is giving free rides to anyone who wants to go from Osoyoos to Âé¶čAV from Feb. 15 to 28.
The transportation business â Mountain Man Mikeâs â started in 2019 after the founder, Michael Hathaway, regularly participated in rideshare programs from Kaslo to Vancouver.
The route, from Osoyoos to Âé¶čAV, is making a comeback after being suspended in September of 2021. And as a token of appreciation to the people who have used the service to get around the province for the last two years, Hathaway is offering free trips to anyone looking to take a trip through the Okanagan.
âWe started with one bus and now we have eight,â he said.
âThe ridership on the route was really low before. But now weâre bringing it back and we want to get people talking ⊠any travel from Osoyoos to Âé¶čAV will be free from Feb. 15 to 28.â
Before Mountain Man Mikeâs was founded, the owner would spend a lot of the road travelling around the province. Joining him on the B.C. roads would be people needing to get around as much as he did.
âI was a rideshare provider for 12 years,â Hathaway explained. âI had a father who was ill and in the hospital and needed to go Vancouver once a week.
âWhen 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 thatâs how the company started.â
Since then, the transit service has expanded with various new routes.
Among those is a trip from Vancouver to Calgary â a road trip that will cost an estimated $160, stopping once in Nelson.
As the company approaches its three-year anniversary, Hathaway couldnât be more proud of the service he and his team have provided.
âThereâs one lady whoâs always on the bus. She has family in Vancouver and doesnât have a vehicle so she always ends up on my bus.â
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
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