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| Parent | Variant Equity Advisors |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | 2015 Fisher Drive Peterborough, Ontario |
| Service area | Quebec andOntario, Canada |
| Service type | Intercity coach service Tour bus Bus charter Contract service |
| Alliance | Coach USA |
| Website | www |
Coach Canada is the Canadian affiliate ofCoach USA.
Charter services (rental of bus with driver) originating in most areas in Ontario can travel to anywhere in North America. However, Megabus operations are confined to the provinces ofQuebec andOntario and provide services under theMegabus 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 byStagecoach of its North American operations to Variant Equity Advisors.[2][3][4][5]
In June 2024, Coach USA filed forChapter 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 subsidiaries (including Coach Canada) to Bus Company Holdings, a unit of theRenco Group.[6]
Approval under theInvestment Canada Act was given toStagecoach 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.[citation needed]
Gray Line Montreal, although also owned by Coach Canada, is independently operated.[8]
Scheduled services (asMegabus):[9]
Trentway-Wagar won a legal battle in Ontario on 12 November 2008. The company had alleged that PickupPal, an onlinecarpool 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 24 April 2009 the Ontario Government amended thePublic Vehicle Act to remove any mention of carpool vehicles, thus essentially removing any legal barriers preventing carpooling in Ontario.[13]
Media related toCoach Canada at Wikimedia Commons