As discussed in our posting of June 5, 2023, MTO has set up a Technical Advisory Committee, led by Arcadis/IBI, to further develop its draft Southwestern Ontario Transportation Plan.
The Tenchical Advisory Committee held its second meeting on December 6, 2023.
Transport Action Ontario again participated actively in this meeting and subsequently provided detailed comments. These can be viewed below.
InterCity Bus, a new company in Southwestern Ontario’s motorcoach market which launched with London to Toronto services earlier this year, is extending its network to Sarnia starting on December 18, 2023.
The service is launching with three round trips per day, serving Sarnia’s Bayside Transit Terminal and the transit interchange at Murphy Road, making a stop in Strathroy (Tim Hortons, 28630 Centre Road) and arriving in London at the Intercity Bus Terminal, where connections can be made with services to Woodstock, Kitchener, Toronto Pearson Airport (T1), and downtown Toronto (44 York Street, outside Union Station).
London Bus Terminal
Intercity Bus leased and reopened the former Greyhound bus terminal at 101 York Street in London as its base of operations, providing comfortable place to wait for buses and make connections, with a customer service counter and washrooms.
For passengers making connections with train services, the VIA Rail station is about a five minute walk away.
Fares and Schedules
Fares between Sarnia and London start at $24.85 including tax, Sarnia to Toronto is $57.52. Two suitcases will be carried free of charge, additional bags are $5, and bicycles may be transported for $15.
Tickets can be booked online at intercitybus.ca, by phone (519) 719-9237, in person at the London terminal, and through busbud.com. Drivers will also accept cash if seats are available, although exact change is required.
London to Sarnia
Bus Stop
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
London – Intercity Bus Terminal
4:50 AM
9:00 AM
4:15 PM
Strathroy – Tim Hortons
5:25 AM
9:35 AM
4:55 PM
Sarnia – Real Canadian Superstore
6:05 AM
10:20 AM
5:35 PM
Sarnia – Bayside Terminal
6:15 AM
10:30 AM
5:40 PM
Sarnia to London
Bus Stop
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
Sarnia – Bayside Terminal
6:25 AM
10:45 AM
5:55 PM
Sarnia – Real Canadian Superstore
6:35 AM
10:55 AM
6:05 PM
Strathroy – Tim Hortons
7:15 AM
11:35 AM
6:45 PM
London – Intercity Bus Terminal
7:55 AM
12:15 PM
7:20 PM
Schedule as of December 18, 2023
Rebuilding Southwestern Ontario’s Network
Combined with the Sarnia-London intercommunity bus, which also makes stops in Mount Brydges and Komoka, there are now six daily bus trips, plus the single VIA Rail round trip between Sarnia and London. At London, in addition to motorcoach and rail connections to Toronto, several other intercommunity bus routes are available (see Southwest Community Transit). However, the future of these vital intercommunity services beyond 2025 has yet to be confirmed by the Ontario government.
IntercityBus also has future plans to add a service between London and St. Thomas, a route that has lacked public transportation since the collapse of the of Abouttown Northlink bus network in 2013.
Transport Action Ontario would like to see London serve as a regional mobility hub, with a combined station for motorcoach services, intercommunity bus, passenger rail, and easy connections to London Transit.
Interest continues to be high among southwestern Ontario municipalities for improved intercity passenger rail service. In November, Brantford completed a report entitled Brantford on Track: Paving the way for GO Rail Extension. It identifies the need and benefits for GO Rail service and urges the Province to proceed on this:
“Without an alternative to personal vehicles, Brantford residents will continue to rely heavily on their cars, increasing congestion on the 403 between Brantford and Hamilton, contributing to emissions, urban sprawl, and inefficiencies in the transportation infrastructure.”
Transport Action Ontario has written to Brantford supporting its need, but urging caution on relying solely on GO. We also cited concerns about rail capacity and the impact of GO train reversals in Brantford on passenger rail service expansion further west. A better approach is to work with other regional municipalities and build upon the soon-to-be-released rail capacity study, commissioned by Transport Canada that envisages up to 12 trains per day to London, and additional services to Windsor and Sarnia.
We will be meeting with Brantford staff later this month to discuss further, our letter can be viewed below.
Transport Action Ontario recently presented a summary update of GTHA public transit improvements and challenges to a Toronto-based seniors group. It presents a useful snapshot of the current status of this vital public service, including:
Massive anticipated population increase drives need for more transit
Over $100 Billion of rapid transit capital investment since 2010, but more needed
Smaller projects underway to improve transit, including priority bus features, fare integration and on-request transit
Long-awaited improvements to VIA Rail coming
Challenges include operational funding, reliability and escalating cost of construction
A new report has been released entitled The Freight Escape: How to Get Trucks Off the 401 Without Blowing a Hole in the Greenbelt.
This report was commissioned by Environmental Defence with input from Transport Action Ontario and you can access this report here.
The report finds that subsidizing the toll on the 407 ETR is cheaper, easier, and better for the trucking industry than building the proposed Highway 413. It also shows that moving trucks from Highway 401 to the 407 will alleviate congestion for all road users and reduce journey times for truck drivers. This would also make building the proposed Highway 413 unnecessary, save taxpayers at least $6 billion (based on 2018 estimates), and conserve valuable natural spaces including 2000 acres of farmland and 400 acres of Greenbelt.
The Freight Escape report finds that moving trucks to the 407 will:
Move 12,000 to 21,000 trucks a day off Highway 401, reducing daily traffic for passenger vehicles
Cost $6 billion less than constructing the proposed Highway 413. Subsidizing the 407 trucking toll is estimated to cost $4 billion, which would be paid over a 30 year period. The Ontario government has not revealed a cost estimate for building Highway 413, but estimates cited in the media are as high as $10 billion
Reduce cost and journey time for truck drivers: using Highway 407 will improve journey times for truckers by approximately 80 minutes, which would be less than half the length of time than the equivalent trip on Highway 401
Conserve local natural spaces and local food production – including 2000 acres of farmland and 400 acres of Greenbelt land that would be paved by Highway 413.
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