Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
The bus ride to Quebec City alone would be 10 hours while a Halifax-Toronto flight is about 2.5.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JHikka
Anybody that suggests taking a bus ride that's longer than four hours likely has never taken a bus for longer than four hours.  |
Nothing can compete with air for travel speed over long distances.
That begs the question: What is the purpose of VIA?
Certainly, it has a mandate to serve places that aren't connected by road to the rest of Canada. Unless those communities get some sort of alternative, VIA isn't going away.
Now, should it be a regional operator, providing good service between the cities of Central Canada along the Corridor? Admittedly, the private sector can do that too - should the federal government subsidize something a private operator could do, either via air or bus?
Or should it focus on providing a national network from coast-to-coast? Like people have mentioned, it's so slow as be useless for anything but tourists. It's about as expensive as air travel too, so there's not much advantage cost-wise.
Right now, it seems to do everything and nothing at the same time. Perhaps a focus on one of the elements might lead to a more productive outcome.