Trudeau talks Greyhound as company prepares to end Western Canada service

Jul 17 2018, 11:30 pm

After Greyhound announced that is ending all but one route in BC and cancelling all bus and freight services in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was pressed on the issue of whether the federal government is prepared to step in and help fill the transportation void.

Speaking to reporters in Nova Scotia, Trudeau said the decision by Greyhound is “difficult for many people who live on the prairies, the ability of folks who are already struggling economically to visit family to travel for work, to get across the country, is going to mean meeting new challenges, as Greyhound takes its decision.”

Trudeau said he has asked the Minister of Transport to work with the provinces, the communities affected, and the company, to “try and see what paths forward there are.”

Greyhound says the changes will go into effect on October 31, 2018. The decision is due to a “challenging transportation environment that is characterized by declining ridership in rural communities,” said Greyhound, in a statement.

The company says it is facing “increased competition” from subsidized national and inter-regional transportation services.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce these service impacts for the end of October. We understand that these route changes are difficult for our customers,” said Stuart Kendrick, Senior Vice President, Greyhound Canada.

Kendrick added that ridership with the company in Canada has dropped nearly 41% across the country since 2010.

“Simply put, we can no longer operate unsuitable routes.”

With files from Simran Singh

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