Travel by Greyhound Bus in and out of the territory could become a thing of the past if an application is approved to end its routes throughout northern British Columbia and to Whitehorse.

On Aug. 10, the company filed the paperwork with the province’s Passenger Transportation Board to discontinue service for the route between Dawson Creek, B.C. and Whitehorse.

It also wants to abandon the Prince George routes that go to and from Prince Rupert, Valemount and Dawson Creek.

Though not in northern B.C., the Victoria/Nanaimo run is also listed in the application.

So is a proposal to reduce stops on other routes and have the option to reduce the minimum number of runs for a variety of routes in the province.

Peter Hamel is Greyhound Canada’s vice-president for western Canada. He said from Winnipeg this morning the company can no longer sustain the losses it’s absorbing from the northern B.C. routes.

In a statement, Greyhound officials explained that “market conditions for intercity transportation services have become increasingly challenging.”

Since 2010, ridership on the five routes that would be discontinued has plummeted by 51 per cent – with overall ridership throughout B.C. dropping by 46 per cent.

Specific ridership figures for arrivals to and departures from Whitehorse were unavailable from the company.

“Despite a range of cost-reduction and efficiency measures over several years, factors such as urbanization, increased competition from subsidized national and inter-regional passenger transportation and ride-sharing services, and recent reductions in oil prices, which have prompted more people to travel by car, have led to this proposed change,” the company stated.

Officials went on to acknowledge the impact the changes could have on many who travel by bus as well as the communities the buses travel through.

“I know that the proposed route reductions will be a difficult change for affected passengers and communities, and we deeply regret having to issue this filing,” said Stuart Kendrick, Greyhound Canada’s senior vice-president.

“The situation has come to a head, however, and despite a long-standing series of corrective measures and discussions with regulatory officials, the reality is that we can no longer operate the unsustainable routes, and we are proposing changes that will make other B.C. routes more viable.

“We are continuing our discussions regarding viable options for rural connectivity in British Columbia with the provincial and federal governments.

“We will continue to provide up-to-date information, signifying our ongoing commitment to our customers.

“Our focus moving forward is to offer a viable bus service that provides the level of safe, enjoyable and affordable travel that our customers have come to expect.”

Officials with the Yukon government have also requested a meeting with Greyhound to discuss the application and changes that would leave the territory without a bus route to the South.

Hamel said it’s expected that meeting will happen next week.

He said the company will meet with those who could be impacted if the proposal goes ahead.