November 30, 2012

Maritime Bus and VIA Rail Canada Join Forces

Montréal, November 30, 2012 - A new operating partnership between Maritime Bus and VIA Rail Canada will greatly improve service and add options for Maritimes travellers. The two companies will share the existing VIA Rail stations in Halifax, Truro, and Moncton as at December 1st, 2012.

This partnership is wonderful news for our customers," says Mike Cassidy, president of Maritime Bus. "Customers have been asking for both bus and rail services to be under one roof with schedules that complement each mode of travel."

Passengers will be able to book joint train and motorcoach trips on VIA Rail's website in a seamless fashion in a single transaction by Spring 2013. VIA Rail's Chief, Marketing and Sales Officer, Steve Del Bosco, says: "VIA Rail thinks the more we integrate transportation services, the easier it is for travellers to use our services, and the better it is for all carriers. We propose to integrate web ticketing, harmonize schedules and cross-promote intermodal services to increase the mobility of Canadians and help them make the most efficient use of the transport system".

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada (www.viarail.ca) has a mandate to provide Canadian travellers with safe, efficient, and cost-effective passenger transportation services in the country's two official languages. VIA operates intercity, regional and transcontinental train services linking 450 communities through its 12,500-kilometre network. Winner of the 2011 RAC Safety Award, VIA Rail safely transports more than four million passengers annually. In 2007, the Government of Canada invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. Follow our transformation on viarail.ca/transformingVIA.

About Maritime Bus
Maritime Bus is the new line run passenger and parcel service for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island with connections to anywhere in Canada... 40 terminal and agency locations will be operating seven days a week throughout the Maritime region.

Bus travellers and parcel customers are encouraged to visit the new line run website at http://www.maritimebus.com/, call Maritime Bus' contact centre at 1-800-575-1807 or email info@maritimebus.com.