Greyhound passengers abandoned on highway

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.

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.