Exploring the Great White North: Canadian Bus Lines

Our great neighbor to the north has bustling cities and some beautiful scenery to take in. Especially if you live in the northern United States, bussing across the border to explore Canada can be an attractive, low cost option. Luckily many major inter-city bus companies serve Canada’s every corner, to get you exactly where you want to go.

Arcadian

Looking to explore Canada’s upper right corner? Arcadian’s fleet of inter-city buses serves Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. On average, their buses are five years old, so you know you won’t be riding in a smelly, rickety vehicle for hours.

Sample Fare: Oxford to North Sydney (6.5 hours): $78 (CAN)

DRL

Want to see Canada’s true upper reaches? DRL can take you all the way up to the Island of Newfoundland; the coaches ply a daily route of 25 stops along the Trans-Canadian highway, a 13.5 hour stretch in total.

Sample Fare: St. John’s to Badger: $67 (CAN)

Greyhound Canada

Yep, that ubiquitous grey dog traverses Canada as well. Greyhound has routes across eight of Canada’s territories. With a huge fleet of 480 buses, it’s likely that Greyhound Canada can get you at least close to where you want to be. The bus company also runs a number of “commuter quicklink” rapid buses between Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and surrounding cities.

Sample Fare: Toronto to Montreal: $50 (CAN)

Groupe Galland

Prefer to speak a little Francais while you’re on the bus? If you’re in Quebec, you can use this company for routes between Montreal and Mont-Laurier.

Sample Fare: Not available online

Orleans Express

Your can use this francophone bus line to get around Quebec and the Maritime provinces of Canada. The company is owned by Arcadian, so you can expect similar bus styles and quality on this line as well.

Sample Fare: Montreal Airport to Quebec (4 hours): $66 (CAN)

Saskatchewan Transportation Company

This government-run company has intercity bus service throughout the province of Saskatchewan. The main terminals are located in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, and Regina, although there are a total of 198 stops in rural areas.

Sample Fare: Big River to Montreal Lake (3 hours): $40 (CAN)