Tag: Maritime Bus

TAA hosts successful Nova Scotia members event

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A group of people wait on a station platform as a teal VIA passenger train arrives
Attendees of TAA’s Nova Scotia Members Rendez-vous excursion wait on the platform in Truro as VIA #14 arrives. (Photo – Tim Hayman)

On Saturday, March 18th, TAA hosted the first of what we hope will be many events for our members. This event was targeted primarily towards our members in Nova Scotia, as we set out on an excursion from Halifax to Truro and back. At noon, seventeen TAA members (including our Vice President and several members of the board) gathered at the VIA Rail/Maritime Bus station in downtown Halifax and boarded Maritime Bus Route 103 to head to Truro. As we boarded the bus driver commented that this was an unusually busy trip for that time on a Saturday…we doubled what he guessed would be a “normal” load!

Despite running slightly behind schedule the bus trip was smooth and uneventful, with only two short stops in Dartmouth and at the airport. The chatter on board throughout the trip was full of discussion about public transportation locally and farther afield!

Upon arrival in Truro we made our way to the Engineroom Pub, where we enjoyed lunch before migrating over to the adjacent VIA Rail station. The waiting room was surprisingly busy – it seems we weren’t the only ones making the trip in to Halifax! Our wait in the station gave us a chance to talk a bit more about what TAA was up to, and provide an opportunity for members to provide feedback on what they thought we were doing well (or not so well), and what they’d like to see us do in the future. There were some excellent ideas floated during this chat. Continue reading “TAA hosts successful Nova Scotia members event” →

PEI shuttle ends, Maritime Bus adds more runs

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A bus with a maple leaf and Maritime Bus branding on the side
(Photo – Ted Bartlett)

After 20 years of carrying passengers to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, PEI’s Advance Shuttle has shut down. The company was purchased by Maritime Bus in 2012, who continued to operate it up until its final run on January 6, 2017. Maritime Bus had concluded that the cost of running the shuttle service in addition to their own bus services was no longer justifiable.

Despite losing the shuttle service, passengers travelling between Charlottetown and Halifax will be gaining additional bus options, as Maritime Bus has added additional late day departures in either direction. These extra buses will also benefit people along various parts of the route, by adding additional travel options later in the day.

While further bus options are a good thing, some passengers will no doubt be disappointed by the loss of the door-to-door service that the shuttle provided. For example, those going to Halifax for doctor’s appointments used to be able to get dropped off directly at the hospital, while they will now be dropped off at the bus station.

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VIA Rail partners with Maritime Bus

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The logos for Maritime Bus and VIA Rail CanadaVIA Rail announced on June 21, 2016, that it is entering a new partnership with Maritime Bus that will allow passengers to book Maritime Bus tickets through VIA Rail. Starting July 14, passengers will be able to see bus options and purchase Maritime Bus tickets through VIA’s website.

This partnership will allow passengers to book connections between VIA and Maritime Bus to access destinations not served by VIA, or to book bus tickets on days and times when VIA’s trains are not running. This would, for example, make it easier for people to plan a trip where one direction is on the train, and the other is on a bus due to the days of operation of the Ocean.

Here is an excerpt from the press release announcing the new agreement:

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