First Christmas without Greyhound puts nervous northern B.C. driver back on the road

Natile Grasslin was a regular Greyhound passenger travelling between her home in Fort St. James and her sister's farm near Dawson Creek every few weeks for at least eight years, but since the service was cancelled this summer, Grasslin has only made one trip to her sister's.

• 'It leaves a lot of people unsafe' Greyhound makes final passenger trip on B.C.'s Highway of Tears

"​It's had a huge impact on my life," she said, dreading the drive home for Christmas. 

Grasslin says the interim bus put in place by the province leaves her with no choice but to spend at least one night in a Prince George hotel during her trip each way because of long layovers between connecting buses.

The last Greyhound ride in Northern B.C.

6 years ago

Duration 0:50

Natile Grasslin had taken the same route from Dawson Creek to Vanderhoof for eight years, but service has now ended because of low ridership.

Cost of layovers outweighs the risk of driving

This holiday season, to avoid the cost of a hotel, she's choosing to drive 600 kilometres of icy highways for the first time in nine years.

"I really didn't like it," she said about the last time she drove.

Grasslin is most nervous about driving through the Pine Pass in the Northern Rockies.  The weather can change quickly on northern B.C. highways, especially in the mountains. "Boy, it's sure looking good, but the weather can change here really fast," said Grasslin.

Greyhound's absence affects many

Though Grasslin is dreading the drive, she considers herself one of the lucky ones. Greyhound has pulled out of all of Western Canada now and many areas don't have a replacement bus service at all.  

"It doesn't matter if it's family I want to see or if it's about a job or if it's medical, we're just really, really, lucky to have a bus that runs."

Greyhound left Northern B.C. in June, saying it was hemorrhaging money because of low ridership in the region. 

• Greyhound is leaving northern British Columbia: Here's what you need to know 

The company later announced it would end service in all of Western Canada in October. 

B.C. Bus North was put in place to serve Northern B.C. after Greyhound service ended, but it's designed as a temporary solution, and service is not guaranteed to continue after June, 2019.