Rider Express

[Prevost]

Covid-19 possible exposure on Rider Express from Calgary to Vancouver: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/calgary-to-vancouver-bus-trip-among-latest-additions-to-covid-19-exposure-list-1.5366059. Must say I am surprised that I'm not hearing more exposure incidents on bus trips.

[roeco]

Rider Express has also announced that they will be continuing further into Ontario as of July 1, when Ontario new framework for opening up the intercity bus industry takes effect. I wish them luck cause really anything past Winnipeg is not gonna be easy by themselves and I think they are jumping into a lake with sharks by going West of Winnipeg. ONT has that corridor covered with Kasper as a supplement. 

[Rapidbus]

Rider Express just released a new map on their Facebook. They are apparently cooperating with Ontario-Northland across Northern Ontario.

I still think its a mistake to compete in the Windsor-Montreal market without solidifying the market Rider Express currently dominates, and that is Western Canada. 

Ontario Northland and Rider Express doesn't even have the same stop in Winnipeg, MB

[roeco]

19 hours ago, Rapidbus said:

Rider Express just released a new map on their Facebook. They are apparently cooperating with Ontario-Northland across Northern Ontario.

I still think its a mistake to compete in the Windsor-Montreal market without solidifying the market Rider Express currently dominates, and that is Western Canada. 

Ontario Northland and Rider Express doesn't even have the same stop in Winnipeg, MB

I know Rider was supposed to be stopping at Maple Bus Lines on Sherbrooke St who are the agent for ONT not sure what happened with that. 

Rider Express and ONT both show Southdale Mall as a shared stop.

[Rapidbus]

On 5/18/2021 at 11:25 PM, roeco said:

I know Rider was supposed to be stopping at Maple Bus Lines on Sherbrooke St who are the agent for ONT not sure what happened with that. 

Rider Express and ONT both show Southdale Mall as a shared stop.

I don't see Southdale Mall as a stop for Rider Express. They have a "Winnipeg East" stop at a gas staton

[roeco]

5 hours ago, Rapidbus said:

I don't see Southdale Mall as a stop for Rider Express. They have a "Winnipeg East" stop at a gas staton

Their Rider Express Winnipeg East stop is same as Ontario Northland. Shows between Canadian Tire and CT Gas bar which is both Southdale

[translink fan]

Rider Express loading up inside Pacific Central once again yesterday morning. From the sounds of it they managed to get a lease agreement for a bay with First Canada.

[roeco]

4 hours ago, translink fan said:

Rider Express loading up inside Pacific Central once again yesterday morning. From the sounds of it they managed to get a lease agreement for a bay with First Canada.

First has bays at PCS?

[translink fan]

1 hour ago, roeco said:

First has bays at PCS?

First Transit holds the lease for the space including the platform and bays. So the bays that Wilson's, Cantrail, Ebus, and Riders use are sublet respectively.

[canuck600]

Roeco you seem to have forgotten who owns Greyhound.

[roeco]

On 6/13/2021 at 8:34 AM, canuck600 said:

Roeco you seem to have forgotten who owns Greyhound.

nope i know who owns Greyhound! However I thought their would be a real estate arm of PCS that leased out anything on PCS property. I always thought Gyrehound(First) just leased the respective bays and when they closed gave them up. Wasnt aware First had like a masterlease!

On 5/18/2021 at 1:43 AM, Rapidbus said:

Rider Express just released a new map on their Facebook. They are apparently cooperating with Ontario-Northland across Northern Ontario.

I still think its a mistake to compete in the Windsor-Montreal market without solidifying the market Rider Express currently dominates, and that is Western Canada. 

Ontario Northland and Rider Express doesn't even have the same stop in Winnipeg, MB

Well they both have same stop now. Maple Bus Lines, I agree they should solidfy their western operations and interline with ONT. Theirs alot Rider can do out west.

[Michel]

Saw an advertisement on my Facebook feed stating Rider Express operations to Ottawa and Toronto starts June 28th and to go to their website for more info. But I am unable to find more info on their website or book a trip to those destinations.

[curlingteam333]

2 hours ago, Michel said:

Saw an advertisement on my Facebook feed stating Rider Express operations to Ottawa and Toronto starts June 28th and to go to their website for more info. But I am unable to find more info on their website or book a trip to those destinations.

Rider Express will be using in Toronto Union Station with GO Bus, TOK, Megabus, and Ontario Northland (late June) but Rider Express told me via Facebook that they will announced on Wednesday for more information. They are waiting for their final approval from VIA Rail Station in Ottawa. 

[MCIBUS]

I suspect they'll hook up with Orleans Express(assuming they still want the OTT-MONT run)though Orleans Express hasn't said anything since early April/May, and with Quebec going Green phase of Covide 19 for the entire  province, I suspect we'll probably be hearing something soon from Orleans Express about their intentions on the Ottawa-Montreal run?

Assuming Orleans Express does pick up the Ottawa-Montreal Express, you'll be able to travel from the Western  Canada to the East Coast again(with transfers) at least by the way of  Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City(Orleans Express)-Maritimes(I think Arcadian)

 

But I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with service in & out f Ottawa?(going into Quebec & the Maritimes?)

[Rapidbus]

I wonder if Rider Express will go the route of Highway 7 or the 401 via Kingston between Toronto and Ottawa.

Highway 7 has less competition but also less ridership

[Shaun]

7 hours ago, Rapidbus said:

I wonder if Rider Express will go the route of Highway 7 or the 401 via Kingston between Toronto and Ottawa.

Highway 7 has less competition but also less ridership

I bet you the Milk run has more ridership than the express buses. 

[MCIBUS]

Which ever the case may be at least we'll have a choice of getting to TO via coach from Ottawa to Toronto be it Rider Express or Mega or some one else. I just hope Rider's schedule is better then Mega's?

[Articulated]

Rider Express has released the schedule for their Toronto-Ottawa service.

They are only proposing service 3 days a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday), two round trips operating express between Toronto and Ottawa with no intermediate stops. First departure is 8am from each end (arriving at 1pm), with the second departure at 4pm (arriving at 9pm). The Toronto stop is located on Front Street in front of Union Station, rather than stopping inside the terminal (probably cheaper that way), while Ottawa's stop is in front of the train station.

While the first departure is a few hours earlier than Megabus' schedule, the afternoon departure is right around the same time. The schedule is set up with the same pattern as Megabus, fitting a round trip into the 14 hour on-duty window.

As I had feared/expected, Rider Express' service is more or less duplicating/competing directly against Megabus. With a less established brand in Ontario and fewer departures per week, it doesn't bode super well that they can try to compete head-to-head. There is also no local service to communities along the route, meaning those residents get left out and have no options, while the companies oversaturate the big-city market and compete both with each other and other modes of transport (VIA, airlines, etc.)

[Megabus Rider]

4 hours ago, Articulated said:

Rider Express has released the schedule for their Toronto-Ottawa service.

They are only proposing service 3 days a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday), two round trips operating express between Toronto and Ottawa with no intermediate stops. First departure is 8am from each end (arriving at 1pm), with the second departure at 4pm (arriving at 9pm). The Toronto stop is located on Front Street in front of Union Station, rather than stopping inside the terminal (probably cheaper that way), while Ottawa's stop is in front of the train station.

Wow, you guys have no clue about Union Station Bus Terminal, let me break it down:

Metrolinx wants in addition to $10 Million Bodily Injury coverage which the volunteer insurance market and facility insurance would give, get this, $10 Million Third Party Liability. Yes, $10 Million Third Party Liability. There is no volunteer or facility insurance market that can write an automotive policy with $10 Million Third Party Liability. The most they will do is $2 Million Third Party Liability.

You would be asking yourself, how can Coach Canada, TOK Coach Lines and Greyhound Lines get into Union Station Bus Terminal? Those companies are self insured meaning they have a few Million Dollars lying around and they just buy a small amount of coverage from Northbridge or Travellers/St. Paul's Insurance and tell the insurance company that they have some money for liability. The insurance company will issue a certificate saying those carriers have $10 Million Third Party Liability.

Like most Charter Bus Companies, Rider Express still gets their insurance through the volunteer market and that's why they are doing curb side.

This is why Flixbus and Ourbus uses curb side stops, because their contractors are not self insured. The exception is DC Trails which operates out of Union Station Bus Deck in DC. Niagara Scenic Tours and Fitzgerald Brothers operates for Ourbus out of George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in NYC were able to obtain $10 Million Bodily Injury coverage on a umbrella policy. Niagara Scenic Tours has been insured with National Interstate Insurance for 25 years!

The Union Station Bus Terminal fees are actually cheaper compared to getting a parking ticket, which is what happened to Greyhound and Coach Canada back in 2008 into 2009 which made them move back to the Coach Terminal.

[MCIBUS]

I was hoping for a 7 day multi day run to and from Ottawa/Toronto from Rider Express, but at least they have a more reasonable dept from Ottawa 8AM instead of 10AM(you can do more), in any case at least we have have trips Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday, not sure about Tuesday &  Saturday?

 

Anyways I hope by this time next year, we have multi-day trips to Toronro by either Rider Express or Megabus or both or by another carrier.

 

As for the going via HWY 7, who knows may be Rider Express might launch a "local run" as Covide 19 more or less disappear or at least  way better then it is now.

As for Megabus not going via HWY 7, I could be mistaken here, I know they also use 45 foot coaches but it appears they're using their DD Coach as service between Ottawa & Toronto, could the reason there not going via HWY 7 is height  restrictions or maybe tree issues?

 

In any case at least we have 5 day service out of 7 and choice of carriers now after Greyhound stopped and left we had nothing, I was hoping for more, but how does that saying go Baggers can't be choosers" or something like that. Hopefully service will return to it once was  pre-covide as Greyhound had it several trips/day/week be with Rider Express? Mega? or some one else?

 

I'm not sure of Mega(dept Ottawa to Toronto) at ST Laurent Station, though the stop has a some what "Heated waiting area(Shelter) it's not the greatest in warmth on those very cold days of winter days here in Ottawa, as for the (dept Toronto for Ottawa)though I haven't  been to Union GO Terminal from what I gaver your inside a heated/Air Conditioned waiting area.

 

As for Rider Express though it's out  of  the Via Station at least for the Dept for Toronto your in a heated/Air Conditioned waiting area. As for the Dept to Ottawa the curb side pick up I'm not sure about. Like I said haven't been to the terminal and don't know how close you are to the pick up/drop off stop near the terminal, whether you wait for trip inside the terminal or not? Not sure how far the walking distance is from the terminal to the curb side pick up.

 

In any case I'm happy that we have some service to Toronto via coach once again. Something is better then nothing.

I tried boking in July it appears either there's a glich in the system or you can't book yet tried booking in July and says all trips are sold out. Also if you hit the "back button" to change your time Ottawa & Toronto don't show up in the cities listings?

[Rapidbus]

Rider Express has modified its schedule.

Trips leave Toronto at 7:30 and 16:30

Trips leave Ottawa at 8:30 and 17:30

There is an intermediate stop at Kingston, ON 

[roeco]

1 hour ago, Rapidbus said:

Rider Express has modified its schedule.

Trips leave Toronto at 7:30 and 16:30

Trips leave Ottawa at 8:30 and 17:30

There is an intermediate stop at Kingston, ON 

I believe they are using Kingston as driver switch point as the schedules line up perfectly for that to happen. Also you will notice one schedule each way you can connect to Ontario Northland. Providing essentially one trip each way out of Ottawa to connect with ONT at Toronto. 

[Rapidbus]

4 hours ago, roeco said:

I believe they are using Kingston as driver switch point as the schedules line up perfectly for that to happen. Also you will notice one schedule each way you can connect to Ontario Northland. Providing essentially one trip each way out of Ottawa to connect with ONT at Toronto. 

Greyhound used to switch driver on its night run at that Tim Hortons at Madoc, ON. I guess under deregulation, no one see a need to serve Highway 7

I don't understand the need for a connection to ONT. They have branches from both Ottawa and Toronto that serves both North Bay and Sudbury. 

It also doesn't seem to make any connection at Toronto to the ONT except for the 23:30 to North Bay

I just noticed, ONT has cut service into Downtown. Half the trips will terminate at Yorkdale

 

 

[GTAmissions1]

10 hours ago, Rapidbus said:

Greyhound used to switch driver on its night run at that Tim Hortons at Madoc, ON. I guess under deregulation, no one see a need to serve Highway 7

I don't understand the need for a connection to ONT. They have branches from both Ottawa and Toronto that serves both North Bay and Sudbury. 

It also doesn't seem to make any connection at Toronto to the ONT except for the 23:30 to North Bay

I just noticed, ONT has cut service into Downtown. Half the trips will terminate at Yorkdale

Didn't realize it until you mentioned it. Especially with how I guess some people will transfer to the subway and not have to deal with the traffic or transfer to Go Transit to reach the airport or other areas like Durham or Peel Region. Especially with how transit agencies are working to better accommodate demand with COVID-19 still happening. 

[curlingteam333]

Rider Express just got 2 new bus for Toronto Ottawa bus. It’s all Temsa bus looks like. One with accessible and one without. As according to Facebook on Rider Express Facebook page.