Greyhound bus service in Canada is permanently coming to an end

May 13 2021, 5:04 pm

After more than 90 years of operation, Greyhound announced it is shutting down all of its operations in Canada, effective today, May 13.

According to the company, the decision is a result of continued ridership declines in Ontario and Quebec.

“We deeply regret the impact this has on our staff and our customers, as well as the communities we have had the privilege of serving for many years,” said Stuart Kendrick, Senior Vice President, Greyhound Canada. “A full year without revenue has unfortunately made it impossible to continue operations.”

Ontario and Quebec routes (excluding Canada – US cross-border services) that were temporarily suspended in May 2020 will permanently end as of midnight, May 13th. All ended routes are as follows:

  • Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal
  • Toronto-London-Windsor
  • Sudbury-Ottawa/Toronto
  • Toronto-Kitchener/Guelph/Cambridge
  • Toronto-Niagara Falls
  • Ottawa-Kingston

In its decision, Greyhound said the move comes after the implementation of various cost-cutting measures in recent years.

In 2018, the decision was made to suspend service Western Canada, while services continued in Ontario and Quebec.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reduced 95% of normal volumes even before operations were suspended in May 2020, the company said.

“Our service is reliant on the farebox – we are not able to sustain operations with a significant reduction in ridership and the corresponding revenue loss,” the company added.

Greyhound Lines, Inc. (USA) is a separate entity from Greyhound Canada and is not affected by this announcement.

Greyhound USA will continue to operate its cross-border express services on the following routes when the border reopens:

  • Toronto to New York;
  • Toronto to Buffalo;
  • Montreal to New York;
  • Montreal to Boston;
  • Vancouver to Seattle.

In its announcement, Greyhound said customers holding tickets originating in Ontario or Quebec for travel within Canada after May 13, 2021, can request a refund. Customers with non-expired Canadian travel vouchers may request a refund of unused travel voucher funds. Tickets can be refunded by calling 1-800-661-TRIP (8747).

For tickets purchased with a credit or debit card, customers will receive their refunds back to their original form of payment within 72 hours of the request. Any tickets purchased with cash will be refunded in the form of a check within seven to 10 business days of request.

Greyhound said these refund services will remain open until June 30, 2021.

Eric ZimmerEric Zimmer

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