Some Manitoba communities will lose their bus service next month, after a provincial regulatory board approved a series of route changes by Greyhound Canada.

Service to at least 14 communities, including Altona, Dugald, Anola and Roseau River, will be discontinued, according to a decision handed down by the province's Motor Transport Board.

Service on other routes will be reduced, changed or contracted out to private bus or van companies. The changes will go into effect Aug. 15.

Greyhound Changes
Greyhound is cancelling trips on routes from Winnipeg to:
  • Roblin
  • Kenora/Dryden
  • Morden
  • Brandon
  • Vita
  • Swan River
  • Flin Flon

Many of these communities will continue to have Greyhound service on a reduced schedule, but some communities along the routes will have their service discontinued or handed over to an independent contractor.

Altona Mayor Melvin Klassen admitted the community's Greyhound service hasn't been used much in recent years, but he told CBC News the people who will be most affected by the cuts are the elderly and the disabled.

"The average person in Altona has a vehicle and they won't think anything of going to Winnipeg once or twice a week," he said.

"But the elderly, they can't do it. If they have medical appointments in Winnipeg, they will have to seek other means of doing that."

Klassen said local businesses will also be feeling the pinch by the cancellation of bus service; many businesses and even the local hospital used Greyhound for cargo services.

Klassen hopes a local entrepreneur will start a courier company to pick up the slack, noting a new taxi service between Altona and Winkler has been quite successful.

Many communities fought the changes, proposed by Greyhound Canada last November, saying bus service was a lifeline to their towns. The bus company did make changes to one of its proposals after hearing input from people in the affected communities.

The Transport Board denied some of Greyhound's proposals, refusing to allow service cuts on the routes from Thompson to Gillam, Flin Flon and Lynn Lake.

The Motor Transport Board also approved a two per cent fare increase and a 2.9 per cent special fuel surcharge, to be reviewed by the board at any time, with respect to gasoline prices.