Brian Crow, in the November issue of BUSRide writes:
With 75 percent of Canadians living within 100 miles of the border of the United States and Canada, the similarities between the two countries stand to reason. Any differences that exist between America and Canada stem more from politics and geography than from the people who share the boundary. Some differences of course are noticeable, such as bi-lingualism, metric measurement, dollar values, geography and the weather compared to most regions in the U.S. Compared to the mid and southern states in the U.S., winters in Canada are generally much more harsh.
Coach operators in Canada face many, if not all, of the same issues that U.S. carriers face: low rates; subsidized competition; lack of awareness of the value bus companies add to the transportation system; image in the eyes of the public and government decision makers; taxes and permits; level of ridership; unfair competition from a minority of unsafe operators; operational issues such as congestion in major cities, fuel costs, seat belts, hours of service, CVSA inspections, fires, anti-idling laws, new technology such as GPS, EOBR, onboard cameras, engines, maintenance, parking and access to certain cities and parks. The list is endless.
Canadian bus companies share many of the same characteristics as their American counterparts. The majority is family owned and operated with strong local roots, and many began years ago by first providing school bus services, and passing the business down from generation to generation. Several older Canadian bus companies began as 4-horse stagecoach and five family generations later are operating fleets of 400-horsepower motorcoaches. However, the consolidation of the 1990s through today has greatly reduced the number of these family owned enterprises. The industry is moving from family-owned to corporate-owned.
While no statistics exist Motor Coach Canada (MCC) estimates approximately 275 companies operate an estimated 3,000 motorcoaches throughout the Canadian provinces. Scheduled inter-city coach services in Canada had revenues of just under $400 million(Canada), with charter and contract at just over $550 million.
To read the rest of Brian Crow’s article please visit “Canada forecasts a bright future“.
