Traveling from the United States to our neighbor to the north is a breeze when taking a motor coach. Whether you are visiting the beautiful city of Toronto, taking in the food and sounds of Quebec City, or checking out the other side of the incredible Niagara Falls, renting a charter bus to make the trip is an efficient option.

When crossing the border, remember to take your passport! However, in addition to the usual travel necessities, there is one item that often goes overlooked onboard a motorcoach; the food passengers transport. We’ve taken a look at some great group snacking options before, but when crossing the border into Canada or vice versa, remember there are specific rules and regulations on what can be transported freely and what cannot.

The motorcoach provider you find in our charter bus operator directory will be well aware of this already, because fines for failing to declare food stuffs crossing the border can be hefty! One example is a Canadian motorcoach operator and driver who was fined a total of $5,500 for not disclosing a small amount of fruit onboard the coach.

The industry trade publication Bus & Motorcoach News wrote an article regarding this issue. The article suggested that “in order to avoid problems like this, passengers should always declare food products to border officers to avoid problems.” If a passenger declares a product that doesn’t make the permissible list, border patrol will typically dispose of the item and allow the group and bus to move along to continue and enjoy the trip.

Still, here’s a helpful bulleted list, courtesy of Motor Coach Canada, to fill you in on food restrictions when crossing the border:

• Failure to declare food products can result in fines
• Many fruits and vegetables are prohibited. However, fruits and vegetables grown in Canada or the U.S. are generally admissible
• Every fruit and vegetable must be declared and presented for inspection
• Beef and game products from Canada are admissible to the U.S.
• Meat products from Canada, including domestic lamb, sheep and goat, are not admissible to the U.S.

So, in summary, if you are transporting food across the US/Canada border, just be certain your passengers declare the food to border patrol to ensure a smooth, interruption-free trip both ways across the border. Your motorcoach operator can also answer any questions you may have regarding international trips; find direct phone numbers, email addresses and other contact information by using BusRates.com to plan your group travel. Get started on international adventures today!