CREDIT: MAURICIO PRADO
A new bus service linking London, to nearby cities and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is now in the former Greyhound bus station in the city's centre (Pictured: Usman Qayyum (middle), with colleagues of Intercity Bus).

A new bus service linking London, nearby cities and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has taken over the former Greyhound Bus Terminal at 101 York St. Intercity Bus marketing manager Usman Qayyum said they know the transportation industry’s problems, especially since Greyhound went out of operation.

“No other bus service provider has a proper terminal for its customers,” Qayyum said.

Intercity Bus president Bilal Taj has eight years of experience in the transportation sector. Throughout the years and doing research, he discovered that no other bus service in London strongly focuses on students as they do.


“We are the only bus service in London going to Fanshawe College. We have a stop right in front of Fanshawe College’s A building,” Taj said. “Our main pillars are safety and efficiency.”

Qayyum said that Fanshawe students can wait for their bus inside Royal Paan restaurant at 1579 Oxford St.

“We will keep offering different discounts as we go along,” Qayyum said.

He added that they will always try to keep their prices “competitive and friendly.”

“Our prices are already more economical than our competitors. We will try to have promotions and discounts, especially for one of our main targeted audiences, students,” Qayyum said.

The Intercity Bus Terminal has eight buses with 56 seats each. According to Qayyum, they plan to expand and connect London to all cities across Ontario in a safer way. He also found that a significant portion of residents in London and the surrounding areas who travel to other cities do not have a proper bus terminal or a place to wait indoors for their bus to come.

“One of the most significant issues people face with the current bus services is that they must wait outside in bad weather, the cold, or rain with their luggage for frequently late buses,” Qayyum said. “That is a danger to their safety.”

Taj said that before, the government regulated the bus services, and nobody could pick it up from the road.

“In the last couple of years, the whole industry was deregulated, and because of that, the bus providers now have that leverage to pick up passengers from the road, which is not a good idea at all and is what we are trying to do differently,” Taj said.

Taj added that they are the only local bus service provider from London.

“We operate right next to London residents,” Taj said. “The idea is to help and facilitate community in London.”

According to Qayyum, when Greyhound officially stopped operating buses in Canada two years ago, the big terminal was shut down, and alternative bus operators carried passengers from city to city, but parking remained a significant problem.

“We have parking, an inside lounging area, free wi-fi, and plans to add vending machines and snack stores inside the terminal,” Qayyum said. “We have everything to give our customers a safe journey to their destination in the most pleasant way possible.”

Qayyum said they are focusing on making the terminal the most comfortable way possible for their customer with plug-ins for laptops, mobile phones, and ATMs. He added that the terminal is also equipped with its workshop space to give maintenance and clean the buses.

“If people purchase tickets directly on our website or in the terminal, they will get them a little cheaper than through Busbud or other thirdparty apps,” Qayyum said. “So far, we have been getting positive feedback from students and people living downtown and in London.”