Location Transport

Drive or take a bus in Canada?

Canadians and other insightful people, I need some suggestions. I'm going to be touring around Canada with some traveling friends from England and I don't know what to do for transportation. We met traveling New Zealand. It's alot easier traveling that country because there's these hop-on hop-off buses that span throughout the country. Canada and the U.S. are just too big I don't think they have such a thing. The U.S. is something like 39 times the size of NZ; and Canada's bigger yet. Plans aren't final, but we're thinking Western Canada. I could drive and it helps that I'm from Minnesota which is basically dead center of Canada; it'd be different if I lived in Georgia and was going to drive from there. But still, Minnesota to the west coast is a long ways! I'm guessing driving ourselves would cost about the same or less by the time we bought all these bus/train passes out to the coast and then for around the coast, plus we'd probably have to rely on taxis which add up fast. I originally didn't want to drive, but I don't want to have to rely on timetables and routes of public transport. We'll probably do more outdoor-based activities away from the cities so I don't know how available public transport would been in the remote areas. It'd be nice to be able to go where you want. Even though I'm not looking forward to the directions and driving through new cities. I don't want to get everyone lost!

Public Comments

1. you should just drive and go to the east coast of canada, the maritimes....thats where im from NOVA SCOTIA,NEW BRUNSWICK,PEI,NEWFOUNDLAND....the rest of canada is more like america unless your in the montains.
2. Canada is easy to drive around. We have lots of signs and if you read them its hard to get lost. If its your first time to Canada should head to Nova Scotia,British Columbia,Alberta definitely. PEI this time of year is not so great to drive in though. If i had to pick one place i wouldn't miss it would be the Maritimes. Its safe and easy.
3. Greyhound and Grey goose buses run across Canada to most destinations. There are many tours and motor home rentals. A gps like Tom Tom or magellan would help with directions. You can get them with voice instruction and any address or postal code will take you there. They show gas and points of interest. Driving is more leisurely and you can change you mind more often. You are not subjected to searches in a car and baggage is not restricted. Except at the border. Criminal records can be brought up when crossing back into the US.
4. It depends on what you mean by outdoor-based activities. If you want to ski or snowboard there are shuttle busses that drive from the hotels in towns and cities to the mountains, sometimes free sometimes for a small fee. Public transit in Vancouver is great but you are right about it being spotty or non-existent in more remote places. Unless you were planning on staying in a national park having a vehicle would be a good thing. And the price of plane tickets drop down to ridiculously low right after new years.
5. Canada has a very modern, well laid out road system all around the country. The public transport systems sadly do not go outside of most of the cities in the west. Outside city systems, cross-country trains are extremely expensive, mostly for sight seeing. Driving is a very easy and much faster alternative to get around. Plus, you can be on your own schedule. Good luck and enjoy your trip to our beautiful country!
6. Drive. Minnesota to the west coast is an easy drive except for a bit in the mountains, 3 days with some great scenery along the way, unless you're doing it in winter weather, but since you're from Minnesota you know about winter driving. The US interstates are the easiest driving, pretty much four divided lanes the whole way and the gas is cheaper. The Trans-Canada is mostly two lanes undivided. The only western Canadian city you could get lost in for more than 20 minutes is Vancouver. Most of the others, it takes less time than that to drive from one end to the other, and you'll have a navigator to call the turns for you. Take a look at a map. There really aren't all that many highways here. Public transit is poor or nonexistent in many smaller places. I live on Vancouver Island near Courtenay. The Greyhound goes south once a day around 9 am. The city bus into and out of Courtenay goes around 6 am, noon, and 5 pm. The bus won't take you to a lot of the best places to go. If it gets close, you may have to walk miles to get at the great outdoors.
7. I wouldn't take buses if you can help it. Unless you pay for tours like Brewster, the buses don't stop at the places you may want to see. Going through the Alberta/BC Rockies is incredible. Lakes, waterfalls, streams, mountain climbing, etc. So many places to stop and things to do that the buses will just go right on past. I highly recommend the Jasper Icefield Parkway if you come in the summer. That is some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
8. canada by bus will mkaek ya sick just drive ur self cause then u can stop whenever u want!!
9. Last summer there was a serious incident on a bus in western Canada. If one person knows about cars buy a used one and drive from Minnesota through Thunder Bay going east. Lots of scenery but also lot of people after you leave Lake Superior.