Greyhound abandoned western Canada and northern Ontario in 2018. The company wasn't in the Atlantic provinces as well as Newfoundland and Labrador. The "Quebec" service was Ottawa-Montréal. Greyhound Canada was pretty much Ontario and now there isn't even Ontario.
Greyhound Canada announced suddenly this week that all domestic routes would be shut down as of Thursday.
The few routes in play were suspended back in May shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic made travel problematic. These were the last Greyhound routes:
- Toronto-Ottawa-Montréal
- Toronto-London-Windsor
- Sudbury-Ottawa/Toronto
- Toronto-Kitchener/Guelph/Cambridge
- Toronto-Niagara Falls
- Ottawa-Kingston
You'll be able to travel across #Canada soon just not on @GreyhoundBus (some border crossing routes exempted). SMH #cdntravel https://t.co/tgMAy6vLNS
— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) May 13, 2021
I have been on Greyhound from Windsor to Toronto and back as well as Toronto to Ottawa and back. Intriguing that Greyhound mentioned competition with ViaRail on these routes. I took Greyhound for cost and better scheduling over ViaRail.
Buses have a number of advantages over trains even if you prefer trains. Checking the current Toronto-Windsor ViaRail schedule, there are 2 trains a day for more money and just about as much time for the trip.
Western Canada and northern Ontario has experimented with local bus services since 2018. A similar experiment will have to kick in for the rest of Ontario in 2021. The Maritimes have smaller regional buses; I've traveled on a regional bus to Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, and Charlottetown.
I've also been on Greyhound from Winnipeg to Regina as well as Calgary to Edmonton and back. I rode Tofino Bus in British Columbia on Vancouver Island.
Canadians will see Greyhound buses but only on routes going to and from the United States.
- Toronto to Buffalo
- Toronto to New York City
- Montréal to Boston
- Montréal to New York City
- Vancouver to Seattle
Please read my statement on Greyhound: pic.twitter.com/pF6KuW8QAa
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) May 13, 2021
Omar Alghabra has been the federal Minister of Transport since January. The lack of consistent bus transportation was an issue long before Greyhound left western Canada and northern Ontario. Now Canadians are in a much worse scenario.
Greyhound has the experience and capacity to run multiple routes with coordination. If another bus company, maybe a Canadian one, could pull that off, that would be better, theoretically. You likely can find buses to take you from Calgary to Edmonton, a route more viable than Edmonton to Jasper or Jasper to Prince George and Prince Rupert in BC. You might find a bus route with awkward schedules, forcing an overnight stay, adding to the cost and time of your trip.
No one is asking for a VIA Rail version of bus service. Amtrak does run bus service at times, including on its Seattle-Vancouver trips.
Government can't mandate a solution but can offer incentives for bus companies to operate in Canada. You might never get on a intercity bus ride but the society benefits when the people who need bus transportation have reliable, viable options. Canada’s national inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls specifically called for increased access to safe intercity transit. Health care in northern communities relies on intercity bus travel.
When Canadians start traveling within Canada and non-Canadians will travel in Canada, intercity bus service makes a difference. This used to be easy by going to Greyhound's Web site. Not anymore.
Greyhound Canada to abandon western Canadian provinces
CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage
Not to be demanding but ideally a bus company would serve all of Canada, at least the provinces. Serve rural routes primarily and initially. A national bus company could add more viable routes such as Montréal-Quebec City with service to Halifax. Even if these routes aren't as fruitful, some kind of subsidy would help. The smaller buses in the Maritimes carry packages and passengers.
Pharmacare is a more important priority than a national bus company. Doesn't mean both can't be done. Just an option more flexible and viable than Via Rail.
photo credit: Greyhound Canada
Twitter captures: @canadian_xing; @OmarAlghabra
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