[Editor’s note: Motor Coach Canada President Brian Crow responded to BUSRide in regard to the news post on August 9 in which Trailways President and CEO Gale Elsworth assailed the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) for non-payment to U.S. drivers].
His letter reads:
I am a little disappointed in Trailways’ “slam” of VANOC as it pertains to payments. I am not writing to defend VANOC but I would like to provide some clarification.
First, not all bus companies in Canada have been paid in full as was stated (at least not as of today). Some Canadian carriers who kept good records and confirmations with Gameday have received final payment but long after the games ended and after a lot of work and ‘communications’. Many Canadian bus companies have not yet been paid in full by Gameday regardless of how good their records were. We understand that most American bus companies have not received final payment.
It should be noted that the contracts of most individual American bus companies were with International Trailways who contracted with Gameday who contracted with VANOC. It is my understanding that, yes VANOC has not paid the final payment to Gameday. VANOC claims they need to do their due diligence to ensure service was received as contracted and in this regard have not received proper reconciliations from Gameday. Gameday says they gave them all information required. I do not know who is right, if either.
VANOC was reported in the media as saying that they paid Gameday 87.5 percent of the contract as a deposit prior to the games starting (holding back 12.5 percent to ensure fulfillment of the contract). Bus companies tell me that they only received 75 percent. Who is holding the 12.5 percent difference? If this is true, as a start, shouldn’t Trailways be demanding the full deposit money that VANOC has already paid?
Why should VANOC pay the remaining 25 percent if the ‘holdback’ is only 12.5 percent, and how can VANOC pay the individual carriers if they don’t even have a contract with the carriers?
This is not about Canada’s VANOC not paying American bus companies.
Our members and association work extremely well with our friends in the USA and want to maintain this relationship so we do not want this seen as Canadian versus American. We hope that the contractual issues between American bus companies, International Trailways, Gameday and VANOC can be resolved soon as we hope the issues between VANOC and Gameday in relation to Canadian bus companies are resolved and that the bus companies that were ultimately responsible for the success of Olympic transportation are paid in full and preferably with interest.
Brian Crow
President