Greyhound Canada puts the brakes on services in three western provinces

(Reuters) - Intercity bus company Greyhound Canada said it would stop services in three western provinces in the country and eliminate 415 jobs there as it loses riders to low-cost airlines and subsidized passenger services.

Greyhound, owned by Britain's FirstGroup, said it would stop services both passenger and freight in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, effective Oct. 31, blaming a 41 percent decline in ridership since 2010.

The job cut translates to nearly 47 percent of the company's total workforce in Canada.

The company has been making frequency adjustments to route schedules and also took several cost reduction measures.

"Simply put, we can no longer operate unsustainable routes," Stuart Kendrick, senior vice president, said in a statement.

However, the company said its service in British Columbia between Vancouver and Seattle, operated by Greyhound and BoltBus, is unaffected.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)