The Ottawa bus terminal (left) on Catherine Street may move to the Via Rail station on Tremblay Road if Mayor Larry O’Brien’s proposal is adopted.
A proposal to move the Greyhound bus terminal from Catherine Street to the Via Rail Station on Tremblay Road could be good for all of the businesses involved. The Ottawa bus terminal (left) on Catherine Street may move to the Via Rail station on Tremblay Road if Mayor Larry O'Brien's proposal is adopted.
The move is part of a plan for Ottawa’s light rail system, and would create a transportation hub in the east-end, including trains, buses and taxis.
“There’s a big facility there and that big facility could be in fact used as well by both Greyhound and the Via,” Mayor Larry O’Brien, who proposed the idea, told CTV Ottawa.
Greyhound and Via both support the idea and are looking forward to discussions about the proposal.
A spokesperson for Greyhound, Timothy Stokes, says although there has been no agreement yet, “Greyhound does believe this is an excellent location for a future Greyhound terminal.”
Via spokesperson Malcolm Andrews says they’re open to the idea and are willing to meet with O’Brien anytime he is willing.
“Via always remains open to any proposal which could improve service to our customers, including ideas surrounding potential intermodal terminals,” he says.
He cited examples of similar terminals, such as Vancouver and Quebec City and says that in those cases, the arrangement between companies seems to work well.
Coventry Connections, which operates a number of taxi fleets, would also be affected by the move.
Hanif Patni, president of Coventry Connections, says intermodal stations, which give people access to various forms of transportation in one area, make it easier for people to get around.
He says the taxi company already has a dominant position at the Via station, and the movement will only help business. “It will increase the taxi business without a doubt. Any loss that we have from moving from the station will just be a movement of activity.”
But Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes isn’t so sure that moving the terminal, which is in her ward, is such a good idea. She says bus stations in most cities are downtown, and the station is much more convenient where it is.
“The Catherine location is more central,” she says. “It has good access to city-wide buses and to the Queensway.”
Centretown resident Justin Million says Greyhound’s downtown location is the main reason he chooses to take the bus over the train.
“I don’t have a car, so the Via station is a lot harder to get to. Transportation terminals work a lot better when they’re in a central location.”
He says he’s had problems getting transportation to and from the Via station.
“Cabs are way too expensive, and everyone has a suitcase, so the buses are always packed," Million says.
Andrews admits that the station will have to go through some major changes in order to deal with the increased number of travellers.
“Working out a way to accommodate that would involve a lot of planning and a lot of readjustment of how the space is currently used,” he says.
He also says that any discussions will have to consider how to maximize public transportation.
According to Patni, the intermodal terminal could also open up more convenient payment options for customers.
Patni says Coventry Connections is currently in discussions with OC Transpo and will be speaking to Via Rail about the possibility of a common transportation payment card, which would be accepted by buses, trains and taxis.
“Something like this would make it easier to flow from one method of transportation to another,” he says.
“It creates more convenience for people.”