Toronto is getting a new direct bus route to Muskoka this summer

After years of limited transit options to reach cottage country from Toronto, you'll soon have a new direct way of getting from the city to Muskoka and beyond.

Beginning June 8, low-cost bus service FlixBus will be launching a new route connecting Toronto with several communities across Muskoka and northeastern Ontario.

The new route, which was announced in Explorer's Edge, will connect travellers to Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, South River, and North Bay, and the wider Great Canadian Wilderness region.

The Toronto-North Bay route is set to operate five days a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, through Sept. 13, 2026.

Departing Toronto's Union Station at 9:30 a.m. and Pearson Airport at 10 a.m., the bus will make stops in Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, and South River before arriving in North Bay at 2:45 p.m. The trip from downtown Toronto to North Bay will take approximately five hours and 15 minutes with the bus service.

Return trips will leave North Bay at 4 p.m. and arrive at Pearson Airport at 8:35 p.m. and Union Station at 9:10 p.m. One-way fares start at $48.98.

The seasonal expansion also adds a stop at Parry Sound Municipal Airport on FlixBus' existing Toronto-Sudbury route.

On top of the Muskoka expansion, FlixBus is also launching a new route connecting Toronto and Prince Edward County, with stops in Scarborough, Whitby-Oshawa, and Trenton before arriving in Picton.

The upcoming bus service to Muskoka comes as another major transportation link between Toronto and cottage country inches closer to reality.

The Ontario Northlander passenger train will soon reconnect Toronto with Muskoka and northeastern Ontario for the first time after a 14-year hiatus. Once in service, the Northlander will run a bi-directional route between Union Station and Timmins, with a rail connection to Cochrane and stops including Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, and North Bay. 

Once in service, the 740-kilometre-long corridor is expected to transport between 40,000 and 60,000 riders annually by 2041.