The province is working with BC Transit to take on passenger bus service in Northeast B.C. when Greyhound ends service to the region at the end of May.

The ongoing talks were confirmed at Thursday's regional district meeting in Fort St. John, though details are still being sorted out before a plan is confirmed, board chair Brad Sperling said.

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Service once a week between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson, and Dawson Creek and Prince George is being considered, Sperling said.

"Within the next week to 10 days they'll have it all finalized," Sperling said.

"I think they're still working on where do you get tickets, how much are tickets going to be, where are they picking people up? I think that's still part of what they're working on."

In February, the Passenger Transportation Board approved a Greyhound Canada request to eliminate passenger bus service in Northeast B.C., as well as other routes in northern and southern B.C.

The cuts in Northeast B.C. take effect at 11:59 p.m. on May 31.

BC Transit deferred comment about the discussions to the province.

In a statement, the ministry of transportation and infrastructure said details about the government's next steps in response to Greyhound's exit would be released soon. The ministry did not confirm its discussions with BC Transit when asked.

"The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is working hard to ensure northern communities will not be left stranded without access to transportation service once Greyhound ceases operations on June 1," the statement reads.

Greyhound has said it will be entering into partnerships to continue freight delivery services in areas where it's cutting passenger services.

Edmonton-based Willy's Trucking, which opened a branch in Fort St. John in 2016, has said it will be taking over freight service in the Fort St. John area. A company official was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

A Greyhound spokesperson couldn't immediately confirm what other arrangements have been made for freight delivery in the region.

Before the passenger transportation board approved its request, Greyhound said it was losing $35,000 a day on its passenger services in B.C.

In the Northeast, use of the service along the Alaska Highway between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson dropped from 18,307 passengers in 2014 to 9,647 in 2017.

Email Managing Editor Matt Preprost at editor@ahnfsj.ca.