A bus departs from the newly opened Greyhound Terminal at the James Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg,September, 2009.JOHN WOODS
Greyhound Canada apologized Friday after more than a dozen passengers were left on the side of a northern Manitoba highway in near-freezing weather.
The apology did little to soothe aboriginal leaders, however, who demanded an investigation.
"There used to be a time when we were asked to ride in the back of the bus. But to the side of the road? I have to question whether progress has been made," said Eric Robinson, Manitoba's deputy premier.
Mr. Robinson was joined by northern community leaders who, while admitting they didn't know exactly what happened, insisted it was wrong on Greyhound's part.
"There are going to be different versions of this story but ... for people to be subjected to being out in the cold, some of whom had been through surgery, it's inhumane," said David Harper, grand chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the group that represents the province's northern First Nations.
Greyhound and the aboriginal leaders agreed on some aspects of the event. The bus was heading toward Cross Lake on Wednesday when, about 40 kilometres shy of its destination, the bus driver decided to turn around to pick up two passengers who had been forgotten in Wabowden.
Rather than face a three-hour round trip, some passengers - it's not clear how many - demanded to be let off the bus so they could find another way to Cross Lake. They got off near a hydro station and stood beside the road for about 10 minutes before Manitoba Hydro workers came across them and helped.
Aboriginal leaders said they were not sure that everyone who left the bus did so voluntarily. Greyhound was still investigating, but the impromptu stop appeared to violate company policy.
"Our drivers are trained to take riders to Greyhound-sanctioned stops only," the carrier said in a written statement. "We are conducting a full internal investigation, and the operator is not driving today."
The company also said officials would meet next week with Harper and that passengers would be offered refunds.
First Nations communities have called for improvements to bus service in the region. Buses are the only affordable mode of transportation for many northern communities and are frequently used by people returning from hospital treatment in the south.