Intercity Bus Services

[christiesplits]

I've been working on an interactive map showing all current intercity services, as well as rural transit agencies.

With such a patchwork of new services, each operated to serve local needs, rather than as a network, it's hard to keep track. Some services operate on a daily or at least a weekday schedule. Others run infrequently.

ArcGIS Web Application

spmarshall.maps.arcgis.com

Before I publish it, I wanted to see if there's anything I missed, or any feedback I can incorporate. Enjoy!

Thanks Sean for all the time you have put into this subject. Much appreciated!

 

[NodeGreen11]

I've been working on an interactive map showing all current intercity services, as well as rural transit agencies.

With such a patchwork of new services, each operated to serve local needs, rather than as a network, it's hard to keep track. Some services operate on a daily or at least a weekday schedule. Others run infrequently.

ArcGIS Web Application

spmarshall.maps.arcgis.com

Before I publish it, I wanted to see if there's anything I missed, or any feedback I can incorporate. Enjoy!

Rural Intercommunity Routes and Intercity Coach Services could be a different colour in my opinion.

 

[tmlittle]

I've been working on an interactive map showing all current intercity services, as well as rural transit agencies.

With such a patchwork of new services, each operated to serve local needs, rather than as a network, it's hard to keep track. Some services operate on a daily or at least a weekday schedule. Others run infrequently.

ArcGIS Web Application

spmarshall.maps.arcgis.com

Before I publish it, I wanted to see if there's anything I missed, or any feedback I can incorporate. Enjoy!

This is perhaps beyond the scope of your work, but if rail and bus are both being included, perhaps you could consider the ferry between Tobermory and Manitoulin.

 

[nfitz]

I don't disagree with the second sentence. The location, while central, is convenient only to The Queensway (417), which was the point back when it was built, with the public entrances facing the highway, and the wrong way to the city centre. In the 1960s, it wouldn't have mattered much but by the time the Transitway was built, the transit system did a better job serving the VIA station than the more central bus station. I remember a miserable walk in the night rain on my only time taking a bus to Ottawa (the Northland coach, from Pembroke) because it was otherwise a 20-something wait for a bus to get me close to my hotel, and I was too cheap to pay for a cab.

Back in the 1980s, and not having a car, I often travelled between Ottawa and Montreal.

With one exception (I didn't try that again!), I always took the train to Montreal, as getting to the bus station was such a pain. But I'd be more likely to take the bus back, as Voyager tended to take a route down Nicholas Street and loop through downtown before going back to the terminal - at least on Sundays. So you could transfer directly to the transitway. I'm surprised they didn't move operations to something near Train or Lees station 30 years ago!

 

[ShonTron]

This is perhaps beyond the scope of your work, but if rail and bus are both being included, perhaps you could consider the ferry between Tobermory and Manitoulin.

The only problem is that the ferry is seasonal (it’s a beautiful trip though!), and that it doesn’t connect with anything else right now.

 

[lenaitch]

It strikes me that ferry services are really an extension or interconnect of the provincial road system.

 

[ShonTron]

It strikes me that ferry services are really an extension or interconnect of the provincial road system.

They are.

Back in June, even while eastern Ontario was in Phase II, the MTO banned walk-ons and cyclists from the Glenora ferry, in the name of pandemic safety.

Which was ridiculous.

 

[Allandale25]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1319672584733077504

 

[christiesplits]

The Tories want to deregulate intercity bus service. What comes next? | TVO.org

ANALYSIS: Bill 213 would dissolve the Ontario Highway Transport Board and end a century-old system of regulation. Here’s what that could mean for travel in and around the province.

www.tvo.org

 

[ShonTron]

I made a few updates to my interactive map, and posted an explainer:

Mapping Ontario’s transit connections

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several new inter-community transit services launched in Ontario during the last few months. Every interurban transit connection in Ontario is included in an …

seanmarshall.ca

 

[lenaitch]

The Tories want to deregulate intercity bus service. What comes next? | TVO.org

ANALYSIS: Bill 213 would dissolve the Ontario Highway Transport Board and end a century-old system of regulation. Here’s what that could mean for travel in and around the province.

www.tvo.org

I'm not too sure how I feel about this. De-regulation in general is a good thing and it's not really the role of government to limit competition and ensure profitability, but I have this picture of Bob in a 1975 van or 30 year old school bus advertising on social media. Reduced regulation perhaps but this sounds like abandoning.

 

[Northern Light]

I'm not too sure how I feel about this. De-regulation in general is a good thing and it's not really the role of government to limit competition and ensure profitability, but I have this picture of Bob in a 1975 van or 30 year old school bus advertising on social media. Reduced regulation perhaps but this sounds like abandoning.

Certainly one hopes that regulations in respect of vehicle and operator safety are maintained in full; and that what's being eliminated is artificial monopolies on routes, which were theoretically granted to subsidize low-performing routes; when those route are largely abandoned.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

If the Highway Transport Board ever served a purpose the article absolutely hits it on the head with "As the long list of bus-service cancellations across rural Ontario demonstrates, that fundamental bargain broke down decades ago: bus companies were allowed to exit from costly, low-performing routes while maintaining their monopolies on more lucrative routes."

We should have degregulated when Mega-Bus was trying to grow. To not do it with Greyhound essentially gone would, effectively, be to admit that private operators are not wanted.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

It just struck me that aside from the TTC having specific legislation I'm unaware of the actual legal status of most urban transit operators... Without additional changes does eliminating the HTB open the door to operators competing with municipal services?

 

[lenaitch]

I'm not sure how de-regulation (or non-regulation) is going to make things much better other than saving some bureaucratic dollars. If a route is not profitable, it will fail unless a determination of 'public good' is made and it is supported by public funds. This is already done with passenger rail, commuting networks, etc., but without some kind of regulatory framework, how does the government dole out funds? A route may be viable for one carrier but not sustain more. How and which one does the government support?

The Highway Transportation Board enforces the Public Vehicles Act. One aspect of issuing an operating licence is the posting of public operating timetables. Without some kind of regulation, a passenger sitting at the Tim's at Hwy 10 near Dundalk, waiting for the 10am bus to take them to Pearson or wherever, might be surprised to learn, possibly after the fact, that the run was cancelled because the operator decided at the last minute that there weren't enough passengers to make it worthwhile.