Late afternoon Monday brought an announcement from Greyhound Canada that will effect riders across the Western Canadian provinces.

They announced that effective October 31st, 2018, passenger and freight services will be ceased, with the exception of one from Vancouver to Seattle.

Senior Vice President for Greyhound Canada, Stuart Kendrick, said in a statement that although the decision is regretful, "routes in rural Western Canada were just not sustainable anymore," due to a decline in ridership.

Transport Canada also issued a statement, indicating that, "there are no federal programs that will provide subsidy for private intercity bus carriers," adding that," "since Greyhound began cutting services to various markets in 2009, many service gaps have been filled by other bus companies."

Current alternatives include travel by rail, as well as the Red Arrow bus service.

Owner of the Okotoks Greyhound station was unavailable for comment

Route cancellations are as follows:

Dawson Creek – Edmonton

Calgary – Edmonton

Calgary – Lethbridge

Edmonton – Fort McMurray

Calgary – Kelowna

Saskatoon – Edmonton

Edmonton – Vancouver

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email abouchard@goldenwestradio.com