TORONTO — Thunder Bay MP Patty Hajdu plans to look into what, if anything, the federal government might do as a result of Greyhound's decision to stop providing intercity bus service through much of northern Ontario.
In what it called a downsizing of its operations, Greyhound announced on Monday that it is exiting the market between Sudbury and the west coast.
Service in northern Ontario west of Sudbury, and in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. will be terminated on Oct. 31, 2018.
The company cited "a challenging transportation environment" including declining ridership in rural communities, increased competition from subsidized national and inter-regional transportation services, the entry of ultra-low-cost carriers, and regulatory constraints.
"Despite best efforts over several years, ridership has dropped nearly 41% across the country since 2010...Simply put, we can no longer operate unsustainable routes," said senior vice-president Stuart Kendrick.
The cuts will leave about two million passengers with one fewer option for travel and is expected to cost about 415 people their jobs.
Greyhound operates a terminal on Fort William Road in Thunder Bay.
Federal, municipal representatives express shock
Hajdu, the minister responsible for Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, told Tbnewswatch in an interview that she had just learned about Greyhound's announcement.
"Obviously this is a big blow for our region. We rely on Greyhound to connect many of our smaller communities because of the fact we don't have train transportation, because of the fact that air travel is so expensive in the north," Hajdu said.
She said she will go back to her colleagues in Ottawa to find out what if any interventions the government might be able to make.
"I am shocked by this," said Shuniah Mayor Wendy Landry, president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.
Landry called Greyhound's decision "super-unfortunate for our part of the province."
She said the inability of local residents to travel between communities is already hindered, and the loss of Greyhound will make things much worse.
Landry noted that regional municipal leaders have long advocated for government subsidies for highway bus service.
"With this news, we'll definitely be stepping that up," she added.
