Greyhound is permanently shutting down all bus service in Canada
- Michael Kras
- 14 May 2021
It’s a sad day for Canada’s commuters, as Greyhound has announced that they will be ending all bus service in the country permanently.
The announcement on Wednesday shook up countless Canadian citizens; especially those who have regularly used Greyhound’s iconic transit system to travel economically to various regions of the country, including smaller and harder-to-reach areas that aren’t covered by other transit systems.
https://twitter.com/traceylindeman/status/1392884987972751361
Hamilton itself has also notably been a hub of regular Greyhound service, with buses arriving and departing from the Hamilton GO Station terminal for years.
The company cites significant losses of revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the key reasons for the sudden, shocking end to operations.
“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 of Greyhound Canada.
“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.”
Besides the clear impacts on Canadians who depend on Greyhound’s bus services regularly, the transit company pulling the plug on all domestic Canadian bus services also impacts around 400 workers employed by the bus line, 305 of which were unionized job positions.
Federal transport minister Omar Alghabra has released a public statement on social media addressing the news and acknowledging the considerable hole Greyhound’s departure leaves in the country’s public transit infrastructure.
“I’m disappointed by Greyhound’s decision to stop its operations in Canada. We know that many Canadians depend on this service,” reads Alghabra’s statement.
“We will work with our provincial partners to explore options to address this gap and provide Canadians with safe, reliable and affordable transportation across the country.”
Please read my statement on Greyhound: pic.twitter.com/pF6KuW8QAa
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) May 13, 2021
Greyhound will still be continuing its services in the United States, including five cross-border routes including Toronto to Buffalo, Toronto to New York City, Montreal to Boston, Montreal to New York City, and Vancouver to Seattle.
Any Canadians with tickets currently booked for Greyhound trips are eligible for a refund up until the end of June.
Read more here.
Lead image courtesy of @GreyhoundBus
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