Toronto - 27% off day trips to Algonquin Park. Next one Oct 11

Cool. But... Same day trip. No Kayak. $100/person.

Lets say if we have 4 people. Each of us wanted to camp.
I can either pay $400+tax for 4 people to take the bus, or I can go by car -- lets say I am a sad soul that couldnt afford a car and needed to rent one.

So below will be my breakdown for a 4 day trip with Car Rental.
$300 to rent an SUV for 4 days (everyone will be comfortable with room for camping gear, kayak, whatever you wanna bring)
$80 for fuel Roundtrip to Algonquin (Could be less but I am giving you an extra 100km detour credit)
$150 Algonquin Camping Fee for 3 nights (Approx)
Ballpark Total $530

So it begs the question: What population would benefit the most with these park bus deals?


Edit: Don't want to give anyone the impression of being a disagreeable snob here -- and I know most people dont think I am, but my bottom line was about the company not being able to accomodate items that people would like to bring to Algonquin, eg, bikes, kayak, canoe, etc. This isnt megabus where people travel to new york with just a suitcase and stay in a hotel.
I hope the company may stumble upon this post one day and decide do a few trial run allowing people to carry more camping related stuff to algonquin and back.

swordman2000 wrote: ↑ So it begs the question: What population would benefit the most with these park bus deals?

Curious what your answer to your question is. I can think of a few:

* People who don't know how to drive (I've had quite a few friends who relied on me to be able to go anywhere like this), who don't feel confident on the highway/in a large vehicle, or who have other needs that make driving inaccessible.
* People too young to rent a vehicle without outrageous surcharges.
* Couples and singles who prefer to go alone.

Same-day trip seems especially crazy to me but I'm glad the service exists for those that find it useful.

I feel like the prices for this are quite *. You can find deals to New York for 50$ so they're just trying to take advantage of people who cannot drive or other issues.

I don't drive, so this is useful to me!

Thanks OP

Thumbs up

swordman2000 wrote: ↑ Cool. But... Same day trip. No Kayak. $100/person.

Lets say if we have 4 people. Each of us wanted to camp.
I can either pay $400+tax for 4 people to take the bus, or I can go by car -- lets say I am a sad soul that couldnt afford a car and needed to rent one.

So below will be my breakdown for a 4 day trip with Car Rental.
$300 to rent an SUV for 4 days (everyone will be comfortable with room for camping gear, kayak, whatever you wanna bring)
$80 for fuel Roundtrip to Algonquin (Could be less but I am giving you an extra 100km detour credit)
$150 Algonquin Camping Fee for 3 nights (Approx)
Ballpark Total $530

So it begs the question: What population would benefit the most with these park bus deals?

There are a lot of ppl who don't drive, don't have a car and don't have friends, or has friends who are not free or are free but don't want to go.

lionbest wrote: ↑ I feel like the prices for this are quite *. You can find deals to New York for 50$ so they're just trying to take advantage of people who cannot drive or other issues.

The reason NY bus is cheaper is because they pick up passengers going back to the start location. Ie Toronto to NY, NY to Toronto.

swordman2000 wrote: ↑ Cool. But... Same day trip. No Kayak. $100/person.

Lets say if we have 4 people. Each of us wanted to camp.
I can either pay $400+tax for 4 people to take the bus, or I can go by car -- lets say I am a sad soul that couldnt afford a car and needed to rent one.

So below will be my breakdown for a 4 day trip with Car Rental.
$300 to rent an SUV for 4 days (everyone will be comfortable with room for camping gear, kayak, whatever you wanna bring)
$80 for fuel Roundtrip to Algonquin (Could be less but I am giving you an extra 100km detour credit)
$150 Algonquin Camping Fee for 3 nights (Approx)
Ballpark Total $530

So it begs the question: What population would benefit the most with these park bus deals?

And good luck trying to find a campsite for a 3 night stay in any of the corridor campgrounds. They have been booked solid for months.

gr8dlr wrote: ↑ The reason NY bus is cheaper is because they pick up passengers going back to the start location. Ie Toronto to NY, NY to Toronto.

Another reason I can think of is demand. The buses leaving to/from NY are likely fuller capacity on a consistent basis than the ones going to Algonquin. This makes operational costs lower.

Can I take my bike on the bus ?

Kailof wrote: ↑ Can I take my bike on the bus ?

From their frequently asked questions section
https://www.parkbus.ca/algonquin#faq

We allow up to 2 bikes per bus, on first-come, first-served basis where you have to email us ([email protected]) in advance and reserve your spots.

Thanks , iam booking right away

drb789 wrote: ↑ And good luck trying to find a campsite for a 3 night stay in any of the corridor campgrounds. They have been booked solid for months.

Definitely a valid point!

dillybravo wrote: ↑ Curious what your answer to your question is. I can think of a few:

* People who don't know how to drive (I've had quite a few friends who relied on me to be able to go anywhere like this), who don't feel confident on the highway/in a large vehicle, or who have other needs that make driving inaccessible.
* People too young to rent a vehicle without outrageous surcharges.
* Couples and singles who prefer to go alone.

Same-day trip seems especially crazy to me but I'm glad the service exists for those that find it useful.

Yes you are totally right. to each of its own there are definitely people that couldnt drive and/or have confidence driving long distance.
i suppose I am just laughing at the fact that with all the limitation for cargo and drop off locations, and the "you are on your own after we drop you off" type of bus service, it is even a total substitute to camping with a car.

Also I hope I didn't sound rude for any of the comments i made. In all honesty, It would have been REALLY nice if they design the bus to allow more bicycles. I could carry my whole camping set and be able to travel decently far with a bike in that scenario.

I've taken the Park Bus, it's a terrific service run by great people.

Lots of folks in the city don't have cars and many don't drive. Others believe in trying to live car-free.

The Park Bus is fun, you can meet happy campers on the way up and swap stories on the way home.

swordman2000 wrote: ↑ It would have been REALLY nice if they design the bus to allow more bicycles. I could carry my whole camping set and be able to travel decently far with a bike in that scenario.

I love it, that would really open up the options for bikepacking.

Kailof wrote: ↑Can I take my bike on the bus ?

Dhanushan wrote: ↑ From their frequently asked questions section
https://www.parkbus.ca/algonquin#faq

We allow up to 2 bikes per bus, on first-come, first-served basis where you have to email us ([email protected]) in advance and reserve your spots.

dillybravo wrote: ↑ I love it, that would really open up the options for bikepacking.

Those are great suggestions. I would advise messaging them to let them know there is demand for more bike space. Maybe they could add a trailer to the bus for increased capacity?

This is a great idea! Looks like the package is targeted at city folks who own electric cars that can't make it to Algonquin and back, or bicycles who usually don't venture out of the city, or even tourists visiting Toronto. Wish the price would include a tour guide at the destination. Or, at least, a park ranger from Algonquin to give a short intro to the trail/canoe route.

eelfliw wrote: ↑ This is a great idea! Looks like the package is targeted at city folks who own electric cars that can't make it to Algonquin and back, or bicycles who usually don't venture out of the city, or even tourists visiting Toronto. Wish the price would include a tour guide at the destination. Or, at least, a park ranger from Algonquin to give a short intro to the trail/canoe route.

That sound fun. Imagine they actually have someone on the bus telling the people about algonquin park while the driver is getting us there, they can even sell tours if they are smart enough, but then again, it will be nicer if they are already included. Couple with the possibility of all the people on the bus organizing a bike ride themselves, imagine all the people on the bus having a great time and making friends along the way.

swordman2000 wrote: ↑ imagine all the people on the bus having a great time and making friends along the way.

That was exactly my experience when I took The Park Bus.