2024-01-13 05:00:00
Bus ticket prices to travel from one region to another in Quebec are so high that it costs less to take a train trip to New York than to spend a weekend in Jonquière.
The QMI Agency compared the prices of various round-trip trips from Montreal, taking the weekend of February 2 to 4 as reference dates.
The exercise produced astonishing results: it often costs less to travel longer distances towards the United States and by dealing with American companies than to travel within Quebec territory by doing business with carriers here. .
AFP
Jonquière or Portland?
A round trip by bus between Montreal and Jonquière (472 km) costs $251.68 + taxes (Orléans Express + Intercar Saguenay).
DANIEL GAUTHIER/LE REVEIL/AGENC
Using the same means of transportation, you can go to Portland, Maine (462 km) for only $164.92 taxes included (Greyhound).
Sept-Îles or Chicago?
A trip to Chicago from Montreal (1,367 km), once more by bus, costs $345.54 taxes included for the first weekend in February (Greyhound).
Credit: Naomi Auger
For the same dates, the price of a round trip between Montreal and Sept-Îles (895 km) is $407.48 + taxes (Orléans Express).
“Choo Choo”!
Taking the train to certain major American cities is kinder to the wallet than staying within the borders of Quebec.
AFP
The price of a getaway to New York ($162.52 for 596 km) or Philadelphia ($238.45 for 735 km) is in fact lower than the round trip between Montreal and Rimouski ($213.58 for 539 km).
Montreal, Quebec
The cost of a quick hop between Quebec and Montreal is comparable to a weekend in New York, but still lower.
DIDIER DEBUSSCHERE/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
For our reference weekend, the train trip, with VIA Rail, costs $96.58 taxes included. By bus, with Orléans Express, the price is $139.32, still with taxes.
Thetford Mines
It is still possible to travel cheaply without leaving the borders of the Quebec state, even if the opportunities are rarer.
The round trip between Thetford Mines and Quebec, with Autobus A1, costs $57.
A difficult context
Called to react, the coach company Keolis Canada, the parent company of Orléans Express, said it was “very aware” that intercity transport must “remain affordable”. This is an “essential service” for thousands of Quebecers, indicates the company, emphasizing that it must operate in a difficult context.
Courtesy photo
“Intercity coach transport in Quebec has been facing numerous challenges for several years, including a drop in ridership, a labor shortage, carpooling offers as well as a constant increase in operating costs. and the price of gasoline,” said a spokesperson by email.
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