Six people refused to get off a Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) bus when it pulled into Saskatoon from Regina on its final run.
Police were called to the Saskatoon depot at around 9:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday after receiving a report that riders were refusing to get off the bus.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Transportation Company comes to end of road
The six were protesting the shut-down of STC, and their supporters said not enough work was being done to make STC more profitable.
“Some of the riders wanted to make sure that the buses kept running past May 31,” Cindy Hanson said.
“We know that there’s people in this province that have no alternative.”
READ MORE: Judge rules against union in fight to save STC
“Our government’s not listening to us, it’s time for them to hear us, to listen” Kathi Epp added.
The bus was moved onto a street outside the depot so staff could go home and police negotiators were called in.
The protesters were taken into custody at around 1:15 a.m. Thursday.
READ MORE: ‘Shock’ and ‘Sadness’: union president reacts to province’s STC decision
Three men and a woman from Saskatoon, and a woman and man from Regina were taken to the police station where they were given a mischief warning and released.
No injuries were reported and police said that at no point did the protest get violent.
The Saskatchewan government announced in its 2017-18 budget that it would stop subsidizing the Crown corporation as part of its measures to deal with a billion-dollar deficit.
The government said it would cost $85 million to keep STC running for the next five years.
READ MORE: STC closure a ‘complete outrage’: bus rider with rare brain cancer
Administration staff will continue to work for an undetermined period until wind-up operations are complete.
STC will continue to service Greyhound customers until late September 2017.