Boris Issaev

Parkbus is your ride to the great outdoors, connecting the city to campgrounds, canoe access points, lodges and hiking trails. Parkbus offers bus service connecting city dwellers in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal, and Ottawa with nearby National and Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas. Parkbus was born in 2010 as a private initiative by a group of outdoor enthusiasts, who wanted to make outdoor destinations in Ontario accessible by public transportation. A small pilot project was started to connect Toronto and Algonquin Provincial Park on a few select weekends in the summer of 2010. After a successful pilot 2010 season, Parkbus became a project of Transportation Options (T.O.), a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering sustainable tourism and transportation in Ontario. In the years since, more overnight routes from Toronto were added, as well as several day trips and winter trips. In 2016, Parkbus joined forces with Vancouver-based Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) to pilot service from the city to select BC Parks destinations. Following a successful pilot, BEST officially adopted Parkbus as one of its programs, opening a new chapter for the project. Also in 2016, Parkbus partnered with Parks Canada to develop a Halifax - Kejimkujik route. In 2017, Parkbus’ services out of Vancouver and Halifax have grown, and Montreal was added to the Parkbus network through a partnership with Navette Nature. Also launching in 2017 were three new programs out of Toronto: the Canada 150 Rouge Express, a free weekend bus service from July to October, connecting downtown Toronto with Rouge National Urban Park; NatureLink, which connects newcomers to Canada with nature; and ActiveDays, which are unique day trip experiences such as rock climbing and hiking, organized in partnership with local organizations. Parkbus is honoured to have been recognized by the industry, media and thousands of passengers, winning Tourism Entrepreneurship Award at the Canadian Tourism Awards in 2014, and being named the Tourism Innovator of the Year Finalist at the Ontario Tourism Awards in 2013. Additionally, Parkbus has been profiled by local, national, and international media, including being listed as one of National Geographic’s 50 Smart Cities Ideas in November 2014.