FlixBus has announced that it will be extending its route from Toronto to places in Grey and Bruce this summer, in order to connect the province’s top beach towns.
The seasonal route will help shuttle visitors from Toronto Pearson Airport and Union Station, and make stops in The Town of the Blue Mountains, Meaford, Owen Sound, Sauble Beach, Southampton, and Port Elgin.
South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Jay Kirkland says that the expanded service will bolster an already positive outlook for this year’s summer tourism season.
“I think tourism this year we’re going to see a lot of people from within our country of Canada travelling Canada, being what’s happening from our borders heading south, people are going to travel within,” he said in an interview with Bayshore News. “We have such a beautiful area up here, you can come up to the Bruce Peninsula from Sauble Beach right up to Tobermory. Some people want to discover and see, and I think we’re going to have a very busy and lucrative tourist season this summer.”
He said that local cottage rental operators have said that they’re already close to being fully booked for the season, which is exciting.
For the transportation aspect of FlixBus’s service extension, Kirkland said that it’s also beneficial for the potential of a rural transit program, which can help connect small communities and those who need to travel across the region for work, without needing a personal vehicle.
“Anytime we can do something with transit, and it’s such a difficult thing with transit in the rural areas, it’s nice when private companies can come forward and help us, and we’ll take whatever we can get.”
Bruce County has also been working to come up with a viable option for public transportation within the region, including a replacement for Grey Transit Route 5.
“Anytime you can get some data on how many people use the route and even with this route from Toronto and Union Station and what they’re doing, we’ll be able to see what kind of travellers are on that. And anytime you get the good use out of that type of thing, it helps when you’re applying for transit, especially in the rural areas.”
The route extension for FlixBus for the summer season will also help residents of Grey and Bruce Counties to explore in their own backyard, or travel to Toronto without having to worry about fuel costs and parking.
Tickets for the new route are available through the FlixBus website, and via the FlixBus app.
