What's left for bus transportation in Saskatchewan?

With Greyhound Canada announcing Monday that its cancelling all western Canadian routes, what is left for bus transportation in Saskatchewan?

After the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) closed down its services last year, several private companies saidthey wanted to take over the routes.

Eight companies got certificates to operate in Saskatchewan but only two, Rider Express and DiCal Transport, currently offer scheduled routes.

Both companies use passenger vans. Rider Express services Swift Current, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Regina and points between. DiCalgoes from Regina to Yorkton, stopping in places likeFort Qu'appelle.

This map show current coverage in the province. Red routes are Greyhound, green routes are Rider Express and the yellow route is DiCal:

Limited routes even before cancellations

Greyhound has a north route that covers Yorkton, Saskatoon and Lloydminster. This does not include Prince Albert.

It also has a south route going through Moosomin, Regina and Swift Current.

While citizens of rural Saskatchewan who live near Highways 1 and 16 could be upset with the cancellations, others in Sask. won`t be affected as much.

Greyhound doesn't have a direct route from Regina to Saskatoon.

Instead, they offer a trip that goes from Regina to Calgary to Edmonton then to Saskatoon.

This means that all of the communities between Regina and Saskatoon are already without Greyhound services.

Cross Canada options

VIA Rail has train stations in Saskatoon, Melville, Bigger, Unity, and Watrous.

Activity from these stations mainly comes from people traveling through Sask. to other provinces.

The only western Canadian Greyhound route scheduled to stay active is Vancouver to Seattle, maintaining access into the United States.

As of right now, there isn't an alternative bus company that operates in every province across Canada