Coach Canada
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Parent | Variant Equity Advisors |
---|---|
Founded | 1999 |
Headquarters | 2015 Fisher Drive Peterborough, Canada |
Service area | Quebec and Ontario, Canada |
Service type | Intercity coach service Tour bus Bus charter Contract service |
Alliance | Coach USA |
Website | www |
Coach Canada is the Canadian affiliate of Coach USA.
Charter services (rental of bus with driver) when originating in most areas in Ontario can travel to anywhere in North America. Megabus operations however are confined to the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, providing services under the Megabus brand in the main centres such as Toronto, Montreal, Kingston and Niagara Falls. Coach Canada is mainly a mix of scheduled services, charter operations and sightseeing tour operations.[1] Coach Canada was included in the April 2019 disposal by Stagecoach of its North American operations to Variant Equity Advisors.[2][3][4][5]
In June 2024, Coach USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming corporate impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has plans to sell its assets, and has planning to sell its Megabus and Avalon Transportation subsidiaries to Bus Company Holdings, a unit of the Renco Group.[6]
Operators
Approval under the Investment Canada Act was given to Stagecoach in October 1999,[7] to acquire Erie Coach Lines of London, Autocar Connaisseur Inc., of Montréal and Trentway-Wagar of Peterborough, which became the core of their Canadian operations today.
Gray Line Montreal, although also owned by Stagecoach, is independently operated.[8]
Scheduled bus services
Scheduled services (as Megabus):[9]
- Toronto / Scarborough / Kingston / Brockville / Cornwall / Kirkland / Montreal
- Kingston / Brockville / Ottawa
- Toronto / Oakville / Grimsby / St. Catharines / Niagara Falls
- Toronto Airport / Port Hope / Trenton / Belleville / Napanee / Kingston
- Mississauga / Toronto Airport / Toronto-Yorkdale / Queen's University
Public transit operations
- Coach Canada no longer operates municipal transit. It previously held contracts with Durham Region Transit and Cobourg/Port Hope Transit, however those contracts were not renewed.
Carpool litigation
Trentway-Wagar won a legal battle in Ontario on November 12, 2008. The company had alleged that PickupPal, an online carpool matching service, was violating Ontario safety laws. PickupPal was ordered to pay $2,836.07 CAN to the Ontario government and $8,500.00 CAN to Trentway-Wagar for the violation of these laws.[10][11]
Trentway-Wagar received criticism for its litigation against PickupPal, leading to cancellations by clients and prompting politicians to introduce new legislation that is more prepared to deal with emerging businesses like PickupPal.[12]
On April 24, 2009 the Ontario Government amended the Public Vehicle Act to remove any mention of carpool vehicles, thus essentially removing any legal barriers preventing carpooling in Ontario.[13]
See also
References
- ^ Stagecoach in North America Archived 2007-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sale of North America Division for Estimated Enterprise Value of US$271M Stagecoach December 19, 2018
- ^ Stagecoach sells off North American division for $271m Coach & Bus Week December 21, 2018
- ^ Stagecoach agrees to sell Coach USA Buses issue 767 February 2019 page 6
- ^ Completion of North America sale Stagecoach April 16, 2019
- ^ "Coach USA files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware". Bloomberg Law. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Investcan: Decisions, October 1999 Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Grayline Montreal - about us". Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ "Safe, convenient, low cost, daily express bus services in Canada and the US".
- ^ "Canada Fines Company for Advocating Carpooling". Redgreenandblue.org. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Save PickupPal in Ontario » Blog Archive » OHTB takes the side of the Bus Company". Save.pickuppal.com. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Bus company no friend to PickupPal". Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ "Save PickupPal in Ontario » Blog Archive » Bill 118 receives Royal Assent (We Won!)". Save.pickuppal.com. 24 April 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
External links
Media related to Coach Canada at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website