Greyhound Canada says it's shutting down all remaining bus routes across the country due to declining ridership.
A release sent out by the motorcoach company on Thursday said all remaining routes in Ontario and Quebec will cease permanently as of midnight Thursday. Its American affiliate, Greyhound Lines, Inc., will continue to operate cross-border routes to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver once the border reopens.
The U.S. company added it will be working in partnership with interline carriers to deliver the Detroit-Windsor, also when the border opens again.
"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 senior vice-president Stuart Kendrick. "A full year without revenue has unfortunately made it impossible to continue operations. Thank you to our dedicated staff for their commitment and service, and to our customers for choosing Greyhound Canada during better times."
The bus carrier said it has struggled with declining ridership, increasing competition and deregulation for the last several years.
Greyhound Canada attempted to appeal to travellers by offering lower rates and frequency adjustments to route schedules. In 2018, the ongoing challenges resulted in the company suspending services in western Canada. In an effort to keep services in Ontario and Quebec, Greyhound Canada said it made "significant outreach efforts" to the provincial and federal governments for financial support for the industry.
"Financial investments from governments for Canada’s inter-city bus sector have been negligible. Operations are not feasible absent of financial support," Kendrick said.
Following the announcement, the NDP government has asked how Doug Ford plans to fill the transportation gap for inter-city travel.
"Thousands of Ontarians who depend on Greyhound will be literally left stranded. Rural and Northern folks are being left behind, again," said Jamie West, critic for Northern Infrastructure, Transportation and Roads. "Doug Ford needs to tell us how he’s going to fill the massive gap left behind. Regional transportation is an essential service. It should not be left up to a for-profit corporation."
The company said tickets for travel after May 13 will be refunded. Customers with non-expired Canadian travel vouchers may also request a refund of unused travel voucher funds.
Tickets can be refunded at the customer's request by calling 1-800-661-TRIP (8747). Refund services will remain open until June 30, 2021.