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On 6/4/2021 at 3:26 PM, Rapidbus said:

Ontario Northland is the only tenant to use Toronto Coach Terminal now ( and Greyhound US). They will probably move to Union Station in the near future

Coach Canada moving to Union Station

Toronto, ON - Bus Stop Relocation - Effective Tuesday June 8, 2021

Effective Tuesday, June 8th, 2021, the Megabus stop location in Toronto will relocate to the new Union Station Bus Terminal located at the corner of Bay St & Lakeshore Blvd. next to the train station. The location at 610 Bay Street will not be in use from this date.

Will the Megabus stop be inside the terminal or outside?

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4 hours ago, anyfong said:

Greyhound USA still has services from the US to Toronto, they're just not running due to Covid at the moment.

Greyhound "USA", does not go into Ontario.  Never did.  They pooled with Greyhound Canada, before them, Trentway Wager, and before them, Gray Coach Lines, to reach Toronto from either Buffalo, or Niagara Falls.    Since Greyhound Canada is shut down, they  have to find another pool partner if they want to sent their buses to Toronto.

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On 6/6/2021 at 10:50 PM, traildriver said:

Greyhound "USA", does not go into Ontario.  Never did.  They pooled with Greyhound Canada, before them, Trentway Wager, and before them, Gray Coach Lines, to reach Toronto from either Buffalo, or Niagara Falls.    Since Greyhound Canada is shut down, they  have to find another pool partner if they want to sent their buses to Toronto.

True, since they had pool agreements with Trentway-Wagar and Greyhound Canada. After the border reopens, I don't think they will find a new pool partner, they can legally run the service themselves with the exception of not transporting passengers solely between Toronto-St. Catherines-Niagara Falls, ON. They would more than like use their Buffalo, NY crew. As for Adirondack Trailways, I am not sure if they would bother run into Toronto on their own and would just sell pool tickets for Greyhound Lines.

If the border were to reopen on June 21, Greyhound Lines could run into Toronto on their Extra Provincial License that they currently hold from the Board.

On 6/6/2021 at 9:59 PM, anyfong said:

Will the Megabus stop be inside the terminal or outside?

inside

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On 6/4/2021 at 11:03 PM, traildriver said:

Since when does GLI go all the way to Toronto??

I assume they will just run non-stop between Buffalo and Toronto after July 1st.

I'm pretty sure they can make local stops after July 1st if they really want to

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On 6/23/2021 at 1:05 AM, Rapidbus said:

I assume they will just run non-stop between Buffalo and Toronto after July 1st.

I'm pretty sure they can make local stops after July 1st if they really want to

I suppose they could do that.   But then, Canadian carrier's could run Toronto trips non-stop between say, Niagara Falls, ON, or Fort Erie and New York City.  In such a scenario, the US carrier would have an advantage, not having to run 'no local traffic' for as long a distance...

 

Either may be able to make local stops in the other's country, but I doubt they would be allowed to carry anyone not crossing the border...

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For people who have taken the Megabus out of Montreal: is there any idea why their office at 997 St-Antoine is advertising the bus service "from $10", instead of $1 as displayed on their buses? Is this misleading advertising?

misleading advertising.png

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On 6/8/2021 at 5:52 AM, Megabus Rider said:

True, since they had pool agreements with Trentway-Wagar and Greyhound Canada. After the border reopens, I don't think they will find a new pool partner, they can legally run the service themselves with the exception of not transporting passengers solely between Toronto-St. Catherines-Niagara Falls, ON. They would more than like use their Buffalo, NY crew. As for Adirondack Trailways, I am not sure if they would bother run into Toronto on their own and would just sell pool tickets for Greyhound Lines.

If the border were to reopen on June 21, Greyhound Lines could run into Toronto on their Extra Provincial License that they currently hold from the Board.

inside

 

On 6/6/2021 at 8:50 PM, traildriver said:

Greyhound "USA", does not go into Ontario.  Never did.  They pooled with Greyhound Canada, before them, Trentway Wager, and before them, Gray Coach Lines, to reach Toronto from either Buffalo, or Niagara Falls.    Since Greyhound Canada is shut down, they  have to find another pool partner if they want to sent their buses to Toronto.

Maybe Rider Express is onto something by doing a  run to Windsor 

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On 7/5/2021 at 8:17 PM, anyfong said:

For people who have taken the Megabus out of Montreal: is there any idea why their office at 997 St-Antoine is advertising the bus service "from $10", instead of $1 as displayed on their buses? Is this misleading advertising?

misleading advertising.png

This is most likely MegaBus dumping the 1$ campaign and switching to 10$ minimums, you’ll notice a lot of megabus DD have been stripped of the branding for either all blue or for a more simple livery not advertising the 1$ 

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49 minutes ago, ZümmyZüm said:

This is most likely MegaBus dumping the 1$ campaign and switching to 10$ minimums, you’ll notice a lot of megabus DD have been stripped of the branding for either all blue or for a more simple livery not advertising the 1$ 

I did notice that for a few years now. It's strange that they'll dump the $1 branding here but not in the US or in the UK (£1).

Also the street view that I shared: the $10 poster has been here since 2012 if you look at the history

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Megabus is rolling out a new route between Toronto Union Station and London Flying J Travel Centre on 3700 Highbury South effective July 15th. Operated by a contractor called Badder Bus. 

From Toronto Union Station: 10:45 AM arriving at London at 1:50 PM and 4:30 PM arriving in London at 7:35 PM. 

From London Flying J Travel Centre: 6:30 AM arriving in Toronto at 9:35 AM and 12:05 PM arriving at 3:10 PM in Toronto. 

Regarding the terminus for London, the closest transit route is Route 30 White Oaks Mall-Cheesecake Factory Road which only operates during the peak periods at a frequency of around 30 to 40 minutes. Plus the nearest stop is Commerce Road and Global Drive which is also a bit of a walk from where Megabus drops off/pick-up.

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I don't know whose idea it was to use a distant Truck stop not served by London Transit. The media has reported the new service but lots of complaints about the stop location by the public. This is not even out of Megabus' playbook. If it was Badder Bus' idea, no wonder why Ontario remained regulated until last month. lol

Badder Bus would have been better to partner with Flixbus or Ourbus who actually know what they are doing lol

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4 hours ago, MCIBUS said:

I suspect the stop will change(if enough complaints keep coming forward). Not from London, I'm guess they'll relocate closer to a area where Public Transit & much easier to be picked p by car.

Doubtful...  For example, people have complained for years about the Cornwall stop being at the Irving Truck Stop where there's no transit service.  Even the city had previously voiced their concerns to both Megabus and Greyhound.  Greyhound moved to Pitt & Tollgate at a Cornwall Transit stop, but Megabus refused to move.

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I highly doubt that the stop will move, at least not in the near future. There's a number of different considerations that need to be taken into account when selecting a bus stop:

  • Proximity to highway (less time navigating slower streets means faster trip, and less money you're paying the driver or wasting on fuel)
  • Passenger amenities (indoor waiting area, washrooms, food for purchase, etc.)
  • Ample parking for passenger pick-up/drop-off (including taxis, and now Uber/Lyft)
  • Room to park/maneuver a full-sized coach through the property
  • For some carriers, ability to hold/store/manage parcels
  • And most importantly, a willing property owner (at a reasonable cost)

Truck stops, while not "sexy", tick pretty much all of those boxes, as they're designed to hold/circulate numerous large vehicles, have public washrooms, and generally sell food. Plus they usually have low overhead and don't charge much for companies to use their facilities. The one big downside is what most of the posters above said, and it's that truck stops are usually located on the outskirts of cities, close to the highway and further from the population. But when picking a location, you have to do multiple trade-offs, and find a location with a willing host that ticks off as many boxes as possible, preferably for the lowest cost (especially when just starting a new service, you don't have money to build top-of-the-line stations).

The suggestion to stop on-street outside White Oaks Mall is a non-starter. First, there are no passenger amenities for people waiting on the curbside; can't imagine passengers being pleased to wait outside in a downpour, a snowstorm, or freezing cold temperatures for the bus to arrive. Second, cars and taxis doing pick-up/drop-offs would be parking in the mall parking lot, which they would be doing without the mall's permission. Don't think the mall would be super happy about additional traffic through their property (wear and tear on their infrastructure, plus additional risk) that are not contributing to their profit by shopping in their stores. Third, you're also going to have passengers walking into the mall to wait for their departure or ride home, use the washrooms, etc; all use of the mall's infrastructure, again without providing income to the mall or its tenants.

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5 hours ago, Articulated said:

I highly doubt that the stop will move, at least not in the near future. There's a number of different considerations that need to be taken into account when selecting a bus stop:

  • Proximity to highway (less time navigating slower streets means faster trip, and less money you're paying the driver or wasting on fuel)
  • Passenger amenities (indoor waiting area, washrooms, food for purchase, etc.)
  • Ample parking for passenger pick-up/drop-off (including taxis, and now Uber/Lyft)
  • Room to park/maneuver a full-sized coach through the property
  • For some carriers, ability to hold/store/manage parcels
  • And most importantly, a willing property owner (at a reasonable cost)

Truck stops, while not "sexy", tick pretty much all of those boxes, as they're designed to hold/circulate numerous large vehicles, have public washrooms, and generally sell food. Plus they usually have low overhead and don't charge much for companies to use their facilities. The one big downside is what most of the posters above said, and it's that truck stops are usually located on the outskirts of cities, close to the highway and further from the population. But when picking a location, you have to do multiple trade-offs, and find a location with a willing host that ticks off as many boxes as possible, preferably for the lowest cost (especially when just starting a new service, you don't have money to build top-of-the-line stations).

The suggestion to stop on-street outside White Oaks Mall is a non-starter. First, there are no passenger amenities for people waiting on the curbside; can't imagine passengers being pleased to wait outside in a downpour, a snowstorm, or freezing cold temperatures for the bus to arrive. Second, cars and taxis doing pick-up/drop-offs would be parking in the mall parking lot, which they would be doing without the mall's permission. Don't think the mall would be super happy about additional traffic through their property (wear and tear on their infrastructure, plus additional risk) that are not contributing to their profit by shopping in their stores. Third, you're also going to have passengers walking into the mall to wait for their departure or ride home, use the washrooms, etc; all use of the mall's infrastructure, again without providing income to the mall or its tenants.

We'll see what Rider Express comes up with when they start London, ON service on July 19th.

Operationally, the current location ticks all the boxes, but it will not attract any significant ridership

Average Megabus (Bladder Bus) fare is 24.99 + service fee + tax, so roughly about $30, VIA Rail which picks up from Downtown is $37 lowest.

Most London ridership are probably Western students, who if they have a car will probably just drive to Toronto directly. Flying J does not have long term parking storage, so they will need to be dropped off anyways.

So total cost for VIA from Western university is $37 + $3 LTC Fare

While for Megabus is $30 + $3 LTC + $15-20 for Uber/Lyft

So which one will you think cash strapped students will choose?

Whats better is that there is a peak bus service there, however it literally misses ALL megabus arrivals and departures, and even if you do try to get there, you will have to drag your luggage along Highbury Ave, which looks more like an expressway than an "avenue' with no sidewalk.

Megabus could pick up and drop off from ANY LTC stop with regular all day service, I don't care, ANYTHING will be better than the current arrangement. In fact simply taking one additional exit to Wellington Rd will improve conditions significantly.

As it currently stands, the only thing it will carry is air

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I can't comment on all pick-up/drop-off locations by any provider, but for curb side it all depends on where you are. If your in the deep south(US)where it mainly warm(true you get the odd "cool day") but nothing like we get here in winter. Yes you may get that rainy day still beats waiting in -25C in snow. Even here in Canada it can vary. Depending on where you are in Canada IE BC in most case you need to deal with rain or snow depending on where in BC your being picked up at. For the rest of Canada yeah in late Spring, Summer, Early Fall it's not that bad, but come winter it can get pretty dam cold on where you live.

 

Curb side pick-up/drop-off isn't bad for services in the deep south(US) but for the rest it's so-so depending on your weather conditions.

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As someone who frequently took greyhound from London to Toronto, I can tell you that it is going to be awful having the bus stop there. This is located right off of Highbury and the 401, and this stretch of Highbury is 100km/h towards London- walking is not an option. 
 

Greyhound was always busy on fridays/long weekends. Good luck trying to get a Via Rail ticket as well- the prices were always pretty high for weekends. That $37 price mentioned earlier is if you book early enough in advance, and it always seemed like Via’s pricing was a lot higher on fridays/long weekends (probably due to the demand).

For all of Greyhounds flaws, I couldn’t imagine having to travel Toronto this way. I took greyhound at least 4 times per year while I was in school (visiting home on holidays), buses were always packed. I can’t imagine this being as highly used. You’re talking about at least a 20 minute drive downtown, 30 mins to Western, LTC isn’t even an option unless they extend a route out to here outside of peak hours. I know it was mentioned another provider will also be doing the Toronto-London route- hopefully they’ll stop closer to the downtown/university area. 

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6 hours ago, yrt1000 said:

 I know it was mentioned another provider will also be doing the Toronto-London route- hopefully they’ll stop closer to the downtown/university area. 

Rider Express started their Windsor to Toronto run, which stops in London. The location is better but still not ideal. Its located by that Ramada Inn off Wellington Exit. Still far from Downtown, but accessible by LTC with a transfer at White Oaks Mall

We'll see what ONEX comes up with as their location. It really seems like most operator prefer locations off the 401 for operational reasons

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9 hours ago, Rapidbus said:

Rider Express started their Windsor to Toronto run, which stops in London. The location is better but still not ideal. Its located by that Ramada Inn off Wellington Exit. Still far from Downtown, but accessible by LTC with a transfer at White Oaks Mall

We'll see what ONEX comes up with as their location. It really seems like most operator prefer locations off the 401 for operational reasons

I was able to look at a schedule from London to Toronto for Onexbus, they are picking up at the Old Greyhound Bus Terminal! Megabus is doomed now lol

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15 minutes ago, Megabus Rider said:

I was able to look at a schedule from London to Toronto for Onexbus, they are picking up at the Old Greyhound Bus Terminal! Megabus is doomed now lol

I clicked on a bunch of departure cities and there are no destination cities for any of them. 

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On 7/23/2021 at 8:27 AM, Shaun said:

I clicked on a bunch of departure cities and there are no destination cities for any of them. 

I just checked their website, they start on July 28! They are operating 6 departures a day. Also according to their Facebook page they have gotten full cooperation with the Governments of London and Woodstock for this service. They are using the old Greyhound Terminal in London and they have access to a Transit Terminal in Woodstock.

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