Acadian Bus Lines

By Hanna Nilson

Acadian is Maritimes Canada's oldest intercity coach carrier! Acadian Bus Lines are an intercity Canadian coach service which operates in the region of Eastern Canada. In alliance with the Orleans Express, Acadian makes a total of 92 stops, with a fleet of 38 busses and 15 terminals. 

Acadian History: Acadian was founded in 1936 as Acadian Lines Limited, and their current headquarters is in Moncton, New Brunswick. For over 60 years, Acadian was in operation as Maritimes province's most popular charter bus service. Since 1980, Acadian owned a separate private charter company known as Nova Charters. As Acadian continued to grow, Irving Transportation Group purchased Acadian Lines Ltd. in the 1990’s which lead to the merge with SMT Eastern, an Irving subsidiary. In collaboration with SMT Eastern, Acadian operations scheduled and chartered bus services in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island thereby maintaining and expanding the Acadian brand throughout the Maritimes.

Acadian Logo: If you’ve noticed the upside-down “a” in the Acadian logo, it’s because the logo is meant to be bilingual as the upside-down “a” can either stand for “a” in English or “e” in French.

Acadian Bus’s: Acadian currently uses 38 modern bus vehicles. Two of which are equipped with a wheelchair lift. All Acadian buses are equipped with a restroom, air conditioning, 51 reclining seats, microphones and video systems. Each Acadian coach bus undergoes a regular 171-point inspection, which not only surpasses current regulations, but represents the most rigorous quality control in the industry. Also, the average Acadian bus is 5 years old and they make regular trips accumulating to a distance of over 3 million miles every year.

Acadian Passenger Rules and Regulations: Acadian bus lines have received excellent reviews. However, in order to ensure the best quality of service, certain transit policies apply. For example, there is no smoking or alcohol consumption allowed on any Acadian bus. The only pets authorized to board with Acadian are guide dogs or service dogs for passengers with visual impairment or reduced mobility. Other pets are not allowed to travel anywhere on the bus. This means no animal cages in the luggage compartments! Also, each passenger is entitled to 2 suitcases and carry-on bags. The carry-on case should fit in the compartments located above the seats. Therefore each carry-on case should be a maximum of 2 feet by 1 foot. When traveling one-way, an extra fee of $5 (tax not included) is applied for up to 2 additional pieces of luggage. If you have a round-trip ticket extra luggage will cost you $10 per bag (not including tax). Finally, Acadian requires their passengers to inform the company of the extra baggage when purchasing your ticket. No baggage should weigh more than 75 pounds.

Acadian Operations: Acadian operates 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Regular bus services between New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. In cooperation with the Orleans Express, they offer private charters and travel to Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. They also partner with Greyhound Lines when making the connection to Bangor, Maine. For more information about Acadian Lines or to purchase a ticket, visit their website; www.acadianbus.com

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