Photo: Osoyoos and District Museum and Archives

Greyhound stage coach at Osoyoos, 1934

The era of the Greyhound bus is nearly over in B.C., and a group of Penticton historians are inviting the public aboard while they document the last bus out of town.

After more than 88 years in service, the final run from Penticton is scheduled for Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Penticton Museum archival assistant Gary McDougall will be photographing passengers participating in a special event that will see them ride to West Kelowna.

“Just to document for the archives, so we have photographs of the last bus out of Penticton,” he said, explaining a similar event was held in 1964 when the last train left Penticton on the Kettle Valley Railway.

“Some people don’t even realize we had train service in town,” he said. “So 20 years from now maybe people will say 'you had bus service?'”

Wagon roads were the original mode of transportation for the Okanagan, said McDougall.

“And then the KVR came along, railway, the steamships and sternwheelers that were the main transportation of passengers in the Valley.”

As the highways improved, passengers services on trains and sternwheelers declined with S.S. Sicamous taking its final voyage in 1937.

“Then along comes Greyhound in the 30s, as a transportation for a lot of people who don’t drive — it was very affordable back then,” McDougall said.

With declining ridership and millions of dollars lost the company announced earlier this year it would be pulling out of Western Canada completely.

“It’s sort of an end of an era,” McDougall said, adding he hopes something comes along to replace it.

The Penticton and District and Stamp Club is collaborating for the final ride and has created a limited edition postal cover and stamp commemorating the day.

The postal covers and stamps are being sold for $4 prior to the event and $5 after, with net proceeds going to the Friends of the Penticton Museum.

Those interested in participating can contact Harv Baessler with the stamp club at 250-492-4301.