Red Arrow Motorcoach Celebrates 40 Years of Luxury Passenger Service in Alberta

*This is a sponsored story.

With just 40 days until our 40^th Anniversary of operations, Red Arrow is thrilled to announce this milestone and to begin celebrations with our passengers, partners, employees, and all people and communities of Alberta.

R.B. Colborne, Red Arrow’s founder, had a vision to elevate the perception of bus travel in Alberta and thus was inspired to launch the luxury inter-city passenger coach service called Red Arrow on July 9, 1979. The business class coaches on the original Calgary-Edmonton-Fort McMurray Route were always ahead of their time; with single row privacy seating, complimentary snacks and refreshments, the first commercial coaches to have seatbelts and free WiFi, and at one time pay-per-use-cellular phones, and a business centre, complete with fax machine and printer, all in accessible units.

We’re happy to be able to share this good news story of a local and family owned business in Alberta. Over the years Red Arrow has experienced significant growth and expansion, and particularly in the past 12 months, when we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to support the many people that have been affected by limited transportation options in the province.

Red Arrow and the Pacific Western Group of Companies (founded by R.B. Colborne even earlier in 1957) has not only been providing a unique and innovative service to Albertans, but has also been touted as a leader in the transportation industry across North America.

“The Pacific Western group of companies, under the inspired leadership of Mike Colborne, have been a dynamic and influential leader in our industry for decades. Being never content to rest on their successes, always asking “how can we do this better” and making a culture of safety and responsibility central to everything they do, has made Pacific Western one of the best run companies in the industry,” says Doug Switzer, President and CEO of the Ontario Motor Coach Association. “Congratulations to Red Arrow on its 40th Anniversary and the rest of the PW family for their ongoing success and for their outstanding contribution to the industry.”

Peter J Pantuso, President & CEO of the American Bus Association adds, “The Pacific Western Group and Michael Colborne have been leaders in the industry for decades. They have set a standard in safety and innovation that has impressed and inspired many of its competitors in the industry to meet the bar they have raised. Their dedication to safety is evident even in their showing their Safety Vision as part of their email signatures, ensuring that the focus of safety is on their customers as well as their employees. Their vice president of Safety, Stephen Evans, has been a leader and contributor to ABA’s Bus Industry Safety Council (BISC). These unselfish acts of sharing your employees and your knowledge with the entire industry, exemplify corporate leadership and philosophy at its best.”

Mike Colborne, son of founder R.B. Colborne and our Chairman and CEO, attributes the success of Red Arrow to the talented people he employs, “Although our impressive coaches may be the signature trademark for the company, it’s the commitment and talents of our people who truly define the Red Arrow brand.”

It’s no surprise then that the anniversary celebrations over the next few months will be about giving back – to employees, to passengers, and to the communities in which Red Arrow operates.  A few fun ways we’re celebrating include:

• Giving 40 free trips away. This will be through random draws, contests, and giveaways, both in person and online
• Presenting a Lifetime Travel Pass to a deserving long time passenger
• Having cake and coffee for passengers at all of our ticket offices across Alberta on July 9, 2019 – our actual birthday
• Thanking our dedicated staff for all their hard work with celebratory birthday parties in all offices
• Showcasing long time, dedicated employees by sharing “Employee Spotlights” on our website and across our social media channels
• Participating in local events and parades in many of the Alberta communities in which we operate
• Sharing our many milestones and personal stories throughout the next few months

With a proven track record of exceptional dedication to safety and customer service over the past 40 years, Red Arrow continues to offers a unique travel experience with features such as free WIFI, fold down tray tables, onboard entertainment, complimentary snacks and refreshments, generous luggage allowance, wheelchair accessibility, and comfortable leather seating. We look forward to the next 40 years of continuing to innovate and embrace new technologies to enhance our passenger experience even further.