A few weeks ago, I wrote about several new intercommunity transit services in Eastern Ontario. I went out to Brockville to ride River Route, which follows the St. Lawrence River between Brockville and Cardinal. I also noted the introduction of a new bus service between Kemptville and Ottawa, as well as services in Pembroke and Loyalist Township.
Unfortunately, another Eastern Ontario service, Deseronto Transit, will come to an end on November 28, 2025. Deseronto Transit is operated by the small town located on the Bay of Quinte between Belleville and Napanee; its single route runs between these three communities, while also stopping at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and Shannonville.
Early in 2025, the Town of Deseronto moved to end service by December 1, 2025, citing increasing expenses and ageing equipment and the end of provincial grant funding. As Deseronto is a very small town, population 1,750, the continued operation of a regional bus service is especially challenging. Despite the planned closure of service, it is commendable that the town was willing to give it a go, connecting its residents to employment areas in Belleville, as well as medical, educational, and shopping destinations in both Napanee and Belleville.
At its peak, Deseronto Transit was able to average 12-15 passengers per trip, thanks largely to its schedule and route that operates to important destinations in Belleville including Quinte Mall, Belleville General Hospital, and an industrial park in the northeast part of that city. But with the wind-down, ridership has fallen; I was one of only two passengers headed west to Belleville from Napanee and Deseronto on Friday, October 17.
In Belleville, there are still connections to Prince Edward County (which introduced a summer weekend service in 2025) at the Downtown Terminal, and to Trenton via Quinte Transit at Loyalist College. There is also an informal on-demand service to various communities north of Belleville within Hastings County.
One of the challenges operating small inter-community services is that they need long-term, dedicated funding, rather than a one-time grant. They also need to be publicized better, with proper bus stop signage, integrated websites, and easy connections to local transit and other intercity services.
A smart provincial government would not only ensure that these connections are funded and maintained; it would help to better integrate, brand, and advertise inter-community services, touting their benefits to residents and visitors alike. It already does this in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GO Transit) and in Northern Ontario (Ontario Northland); there really should be more to ensure rural and small town connections are sustainable and sustained in Southern Ontario.
Why going to Napanee is so complicated
To get to Napanee and to take a ride on Deseronto Transit, I had to take the only weekday morning departure from Toronto: a Maple Bus trip from Yorkdale Station to a gas station drop off north of Highway 401 in Napanee. The town is also served by Megabus (on the Pearson Airport-Kingston Route) and two daily VIA Rail trains, but these all leave the city in the PM hours. Maple Bus, a new entry not yet added to my intercity map, operates several buses a day between the Toronto area and Ottawa, with stops at most cities and towns along Highway 401 between Oshawa and Brockville.
The main Toronto stop for Maple Bus and Flixbus is the passenger pick-up/drop-off area of Yorkdale Station, a curbside stopping zone under the Allen Road/Highway 401 ramps next to Yorkdale Subway Station. GO Transit, Megabus, and Ontario Northland use a nearby purpose-built bus terminal. Though the area is sheltered from rain by the overpasses, there is only one small bench to sit at. It is not a great place to wait for a bus, especially when it is nearly 40 minutes late, as my bus was.
At least the Maple Bus vehicle was comfortable. The bus assigned was a mid-sized body-on-truck-chassis coach, which sits 25 in comfortable bucket seats (I have rode in smaller, less comfortable vehicles before). However, it does not have a toilet on board, and food and beverages are not allowed to be consumed. There was a rest stop, where the driver also refueled, at Tyendinaga First Nation off Highway 401 between Belleville and Napanee. When we made this stop, we were only ten minutes from my destination.
The most challenging part was the walk from the Maple Bus stop at a Petro-Canada/A&W north of Highway 401 towards the town centre. Megabus stops across the street at a Flying J truck stop. Presumably, these bus stop locations are chosen because of their ease of access on and off the highway, and because the property operators are cooperative with the bus operators, but they make things difficult for anyone without a pre-arranged ride.
Though there are signalized pedestrian crossings at Highway 41 and Community Road, next to the Flying J and Petro-Canada, complete with crosswalks and “beg” buttons, there are no sidewalks continuing in any direction. Many push-button panels still have their installation instructions visible, rather than a “push button to cross” message.
My walk south into the town centre required a precarious crossing of Highway 401 in a dark underpass alongside four lanes of traffic with very little clearance, as seen in the video below. Just further south of the interchange, there was another squeeze point at a drainage culvert. In snow, ice, or wet conditions, this would be especially dangerous.
The VIA Rail station, located at a historic Grand Trunk Railway structure, is a short walking distance to Napanee’s downtown core, and to much of the populated urban centre. However, with a very limited train schedule and higher fares, many will still opt for the bus.
Unfortunately, the last-mile problem is common with intercity bus services, where bus stops are chosen out of convenience rather than passenger access and comfort, with distant truck stops favoured in places like Napanee, Chatham, and Cornwall. In major centres such as Toronto and Ottawa, carriers will choose more central, transit-accessible stops, but in smaller cities and rural areas, passengers are left on their own.
Sean Marshall 