Greyhound leaving downtown Ottawa bus terminal

Greyhound buses will no longer be operating out of Ottawa Central Station on Catherine Street, the transportation company announced Thursday.

In May,Greyhound halted all its routes across Canadabecause of the COVID-19 pandemic, and none of the routes have yet resumed.

In an email to CBC News on Thursday, spokespersonCrystal Booker said Greyhound will no longer operate from the station on Catherine Street, but didn't specify a new location.

"Ottawa will continue to be a vital part of our network," wrote Booker."As we work through the impact of the pandemic on our business, we will communicate well in advance our new location prior to a startup date."

The downtown terminal opened in 1972, and Greyhound began operating from there in 1994, said Booker.

Booker said the company is using this time to make sure its future Ottawa location will meet the needs of customers and Greyhound.

Greyhound declined an interview. But in a followup email asking whether Ottawa employees will be affected by this decision, Booker said Greyhound employees have been impacted by the suspension of operations since May.

"Terminal employees are provided by a third party contractor and are also impacted during suspension of service," she said.

CBC has contactedStewart Robertson of the Crerar Group of Companies, which owns the station, and is waiting to hear back.

Other bus companies servingnorthern Ontario andQuebec including Ontario Northland, Autobus Maheux and Transcollinesare listed onthe downtown station's website as operating out of the terminal.Those companies appear to currently offer trips from Ottawa through online booking.