Residents in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario aren't the only ones in the country impacted by Greyhound Canada's service cuts.
The bus carrier has gotten approvals to reduce or eliminate service runs in parts of British Columbia and applied for even more.
Greyhound on Thursday announced that it has served notice that it is ceasing operations in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario, saying it is in a "dire" financial situation due to government regulations that force it to serve remote communities.
"The decision to cease our operations in Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba was a very difficult one. We have repeatedly asked the federal and provincial governments to change the existing legislative and regulatory regimes that govern inter-city bus operations," said Stuart Kendrick, Senior Vice President Greyhound Canada, in a news release.
"Our financial situation is dire and we are no longer in a position to absorb losses that are almost solely attributable to government policies."
Reacting to the news, Federal Transport Minister John Baird accused Greyhound of trying to bully the provinces -- and that the company is being "heavy handed" in an effort to wrestle subsidies from provincial governments.
Turns out Greyhound has been reducing service throughout B.C. since 2005 and is waiting for approvals on even more reductions.
Jan Broocke, director and secretary to the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board, said the board has approved or partially-approved five applications from Greyhound for route reductions since 2005 and one is still pending.
In July, the board approved Greyhound's request to eliminate the small Okanagan town of Winfield from its Enderby-to-Vancouver run and from its Vernon-to-Kelowna run. The board also approved the elimination of Peachland from its Kelowna-to-Penticton run.
"It was disappointing to see it go," said Randall Rose, administrator of the District of Lake Country, in which Winfield is located. "There's not much we could do about it."
Residents now have to drive to Kelowna or Vernon to get on a Greyhound bus, he said.
Greyhound has also submitted a request to the board to reduce the frequency of trips along its Kamloops-to-Kelowna, Kelowna-to-Alberta, Kamloops-to-Vancouver and Victoria-to-Campbell River runs. It is also seeking to eliminate Coquitlam from its Vancouver-to-Nanaimo run and completely eliminate its Coquitlam-to-Whistler-to-Pemberton run.
Broocke said the public consultation period has ended on the application and the board is formulating its response.
The board weighs public need with the financial health of the applicant when deciding these cases, she said.
Greyhound, whose U.S. parent is based in Texas, is the largest provider of intercity bus transportation in Canada. The company says it serves nearly 700 communities and offers 1,000 daily departures across the country. It also operates in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
