Acadian Coach Lines has announced it will close its intercity bus service in the Maritimes by Nov. 30, citing its struggles with mounting losses.
Denis Andlauer, CEO of Groupe Orleans Express - the parent company of the bus service - said in a statement that the company has lost nearly $12 million since it acquired the bus service in 2004.
Acadian Coach Lines runs buses in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
It has exclusivity on the routes it operates.
The company says that allows profitable routes to compensate for those that don't make money, particularly those serving communities with small populations. But Andlauer said the costs of operating the non-profitable routes proved too great.
A spokesman for a union representing workers in New Brunswick and P.E.I. said 125 to 150 workers would be laid off in total as a result of the shutdown.
In May, unionized workers for Acadian Coach Lines in New Brunswick and P.E.I. ratified a deal to end a lockout that halted bus operations for five months.
Acadian Coach Lines was founded in 1937. It is the largest intercity bus line in the Maritimes and also provides parcel service.
