Gray Line Montreal, although a member of the Coach Canada family, is an independently managed operation,[1] that also formerly carried the brand of Stagecoach Montréal.[2] They run a fleet of coaches and double-decker buses in and around Montreal, under the banner of Gray Line Worldwide sightseeing tours, offering city tours and trips to Quebec City. Although departures are mostly at the Dorchester Square/Peel Street location, some of the routes offer hop-on hop-off convenience.
 AEC Routemaster in Montreal in August 2007 | |
| Parent | Variant Equity Advisors |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Montreal |
| Service type | tour bus, double-decker bus |
| Alliance | Coach USA |
| Operator | Coach Canada |
| Website | www |
History
editAutocar Connaiseur was founded in 1982 by Lorenzo Calce, a former vice-president of Murray Hill Limousines, operating charters and Gray Line sightseeing tours in Montreal. In 1997 the company, which had grown to a fleet of over 100 buses, was sold to Coach USA[3] the North American division of Stagecoach. Approval under the Investment Canada Act was given in October 1999, for Stagecoach to acquire Autocar Connaisseur of Montréal.[4]
The parent of each of the Connaisseur Group of companies is 3329003 Canada[5] a non-carrier owned by Coach USA. Gray Line Montreal was included in the April 2019 disposal by Stagecoach of its North American operations to Variant Equity Advisors.[6][7][8][9]
In June 2024, Coach USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming corporate impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has plans to sell its assets, and has planning to sell its Megabus and Avalon Transportation subsidiaries to Bus Company Holdings, a unit of the Renco Group.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Grayline Montreal - about us". Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
- ^ Showbus Gallery
- ^ A BRIEF HISTORY - Lorenzo & Roberto Calce
- ^ Investcan: Decisions, October 1999 Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Surface Transportation Board: STB Docket No. MC-F-20943
- ^ Sale of North America Division for Estimated Enterprise Value of US$271M Stagecoach December 19, 2018
- ^ Stagecoach sells off North American division for $271m Coach & Bus Week December 21, 2018
- ^ Stagecoach agrees to sell Coach USA Buses issue 767 February 2019 page 6
- ^ Completion of North America sale Stagecoach April 16, 2019
- ^ "Coach USA files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware". Bloomberg Law. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.