The DRL has been up and running since Thursday, but the transport service may cease should passenger uptake remain low.

DRL general manager, Jason Roberts, says his counterparts in other provinces are being compensated by government and, although the DRL is a private operation, Roberts says it is supposed to run daily.

That’s under the Terms of Union, Roberts continued, but our government doesn’t seem to want to come to the table, so they decided to go back, get a feel for it and then they’ll talk to the public and say ‘Hey guys, we’re not going to keep running if no one is going to use it,’ and after 25 years of operating, there has been no government funding.

Roberts notes the favourable cost to government of the bus over the taxi. He says the Department of Health can spend up to $1,400 one way for a cab fare between St. John’s and Corner Brook or $103 via DRL.

While passenger limits are reduced to 28 people, and current numbers are low, Roberts remains optimistic that service will pick up as the province reopens and people start moving around again.