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Old Posted Jul 28, 2015, 12:21 PM
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MTO Intercity Bus Modernization

http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-Ext...Qx&language=en

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is examining how people travel between communities by intercity bus in this province. This important, new work will focus on scheduled intercity bus services that operate between separate communities. This differs from local bus services (i.e., public transit) which generally operate within communities. The province has rules and regulations that govern how intercity buses operate in Ontario, including the Public Vehicles Act, Ontario Regulation 982 and the Ontario Highway Transport Board Act.

The ministry is considering different ways of modernizing these rules and regulations in order to both increase the number of intercity bus users and to improve the overall intercity bus traveling experience. Input is being sought from the general public on their perceptions of and experiences with travelling by intercity bus, as well as, from the intercity bus operators on how intercity bus services can be improved. The information being collected will be used as one part of the ministry’s evaluation process on how to modernize intercity bus services in Ontario.

This work will also inform the ministry’s work on the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy. The Strategy will consider intercity bus transportation as it identifies the transportation issues and needs that are unique to Northern Ontario for the movement of people and goods over the next 25 years.

Purpose of Policy:
The purpose of developing recommendations on modernizing and appropriately regulating the intercity bus regime is to ensure it remains an attractive and affordable travel option for Ontarians. It is anticipated that, in addition to more efficiently connecting communities, if the intercity bus mode becomes a more viable alternative to the single-occupant passenger vehicle, it may also help to manage congestion in more urbanized areas.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jul 28, 2015, 1:56 PM
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1) Eliminate the protected rural routes that have near-zero riders that drain money away from more profitable routes and force them to jack up the price for them
2) Encourage better intermodal connections with VIA & GO
3) More accessibility--accessible intercity travel is a big problem in Canada
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  #3  
Old Posted Aug 2, 2015, 10:28 PM
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About damn time. I've already submitted my comments, saying that I've taken buses in drug war ravaged parts of Mexico and would rather take a bus there than in Ontario. Which has been true since the Greyhound beheading of 2008; Greyhound has not taken any visible steps towards security on their Canadian buses (unlike in Mexico). I can comfortably sleep on a bus in Mexico's Michoacan state knowing nobody on the bus can have a weapon, while in Canada (and Ontario) I don't know if I'll wake up with a head on my shoulders or not. Their cost is still unreasonably high considering the surly customer service and, at least in London, the disgusting bus station. Until the day I can travel from Toronto to London for less than what gas costs me to drive there, they add metal detectors and security staff, and get rid of the horrible staff that talk down to you like you're a lower class uneducated unemployed bum, I will not take a bus between those two cities.

I don't have these opinions about Megabus and think their service between Toronto and Montreal is alright (though also lacking in security), but I do think the cost has crept upwards a lot in the past two years.
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Old Posted Aug 2, 2015, 10:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by manny_santos View Post
About damn time. I've already submitted my comments, saying that I've taken buses in drug war ravaged parts of Mexico and would rather take a bus there than in Ontario. Which has been true since the Greyhound beheading of 2008; Greyhound has not taken any visible steps towards security on their Canadian buses (unlike in Mexico). I can comfortably sleep on a bus in Mexico's Michoacan state knowing nobody on the bus can have a weapon, while in Canada (and Ontario) I don't know if I'll wake up with a head on my shoulders or not. Their cost is still unreasonably high considering the surly customer service and, at least in London, the disgusting bus station. Until the day I can travel from Toronto to London for less than what gas costs me to drive there, they add metal detectors and security staff, and get rid of the horrible staff that talk down to you like you're a lower class uneducated unemployed bum, I will not take a bus between those two cities.
The chances of this actually happening to you (or any other person) is almost nill. The bus beheading was a single incident amidst millions of passengers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by manny_santos View Post
I don't have these opinions about Megabus and think their service between Toronto and Montreal is alright (though also lacking in security), but I do think the cost has crept upwards a lot in the past two years.
Massively. Megabus used to be a cheap alternative to VIA; now, with Megabus jacking their rates like crazy and VIA cutting them, they're about equal now.
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  #5  
Old Posted Aug 3, 2015, 2:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1overcosc View Post
Massively. Megabus used to be a cheap alternative to VIA; now, with Megabus jacking their rates like crazy and VIA cutting them, they're about equal now.
That's why more competition is needed. There's no reason why in a region as dense as the Windsor-Quebec City corridor that there can't be 4, 5, or 6 bus/rail companies competing for your business. We have VIA serving the full corridor, Greyhound between Toronto and London/Windsor and Ottawa, and Coach Canada (Megabus) between Toronto and Kingston/Montreal. GO provides good services in the Golden Horseshoe, though they are overpriced. Megabus should be allowed to serve the entire corridor and likewise with Greyhound, but additional companies should be allowed to operate in that corridor to promote competition, driving down prices and improving service quality. The provincial government should be responsible for servicing areas that private interests won't serve; they already have Ontario Northland, and that could be expanded (under a different name, possibly with GO branding) to include areas that could lose service if Greyhound and others lose their monopolies.

Another reason this is needed is because of the amount of ride sharing between cities that has sprung up. While Uber has been getting a ton of attention as an intra-city alternative to taxis and public transit, at least Uber is organized and includes user reviews and (according to Uber) liability insurance. The ride shares taking place between Kingston and Toronto, or London and Toronto, or Kingston and Ottawa are very popular among students and young professionals because of the massive cost of buses and trains compared to the cost of gasoline, but there is no safety net for users of those services. If I were a father I would never let my children use one of those rideshare services. However, this has gotten almost no media attention, perhaps because it is so much more underground than Uber. Increased competition could largely eliminate this grey market.
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  #6  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2015, 4:16 PM
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Security on Greyhound buses is absurd. In Winnipeg, they thoroughly search everything before you board. In Kenora, two hours later, the bus is parked at Tim Hortons while the driver has coffee and the doors are open, so anyone can get on there without search or payment.
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  #7  
Old Posted Jul 8, 2016, 4:04 PM
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Looks like they are looking to open up the market in some form... consultation this summer and a discussion paper posted online
https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2016/..._campaign=cvpg
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