Bus company looks to pick up where Greyhound Canada dropped off

Rider Express will begin operating inter-province routes beginning October 29, 2018, two days prior to Greyhound Canada's last run in western Canada

Rider Express is set to expand outside of Saskatchewan and will soon operate six buses along the Trans-Canada Highway between Winnipeg, Manitoba and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The company hopes to fill the void that will appear when Greyhound Canada halts all of its service in western Canada on October 31.

“When we heard about Greyhound closing western Canada service then we decided to try and provide the service,” said Firat Uray, owner of Rider Express Transportation. “Right now we have six buses but in the future, if we need more buses, we’ll get more buses.”

“In these four provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, approximately 10 million people are living in this area. We thought this service is much needed.”

Uray say all bookings will be made online and, for the time being, prices will be the same as what Greyhound Canada had offered. The buses will skip stops where there are no scheduled pickups or drop-offs and the move is expected to result in shorter ride times to some destinations.

Calgary will be the hub for Rider Express but there are plans in place to introduce a route between Edmonton and Saskatoon in the future.

The first Rider Express run outside Saskatchewan is scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2018.