Megabus.com looking for expansion opportunities as it launches Ottawa service

Inter-city bus service is returning to Ottawa after Greyhound Canada suspended and then ceased its Canadian operations, but choices will be limited to begin with.

Megabus.com, a low-cost coach service provided by Coach Canada, will launch an Ottawa-Toronto route with stops in Kingston and Scarborough, beginning Thursday, May 20.

The Megabus.com service will pick up and drop off Ottawa passengers at the St. Laurent Shopping Centre.

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“The service will start operating Thursdays to Mondays only, but based on demand — and hopefully sooner than later — we see the need to have a daily service,” said Colin Emberson, Megabus.com's vice-president of retail.

When Greyhound ceased its Canadian operations, it left the capital without inter-city bus service to Montreal nor points in between. Megabus.com is not offering an Ottawa to Montreal route at this point, even though the company's Toronto service includes a route to Montreal.

“There's a lot of other cities in Ontario, a lot of other places that we're actively looking at options,” Emberson told CityNews Ottawa's The Rob Snow Show. “We're looking at other options, but don't have any specifics to share now.”

Megabus.com's Ottawa service will start with two runs per day on the five days of the week that it operates.