All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems
by David A. Wyatt
6.3 Transit for British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Bases
Documenting the bus services established to serve BCATP bases remains a significant shortfall of the All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems.
At its height of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 131,533 Allied pilots and aircrew were trained in Canada, 72,835 of which were Canadian. At the plan's high point in late 1943, an organization of over 100,000 administrative personnel operated 107 schools and 184 other supporting units at 231 locations all across Canada (Wikipedia).
Bus services for some bases would have been provided by existing local transit services. In other locations, especially small town rural bases, services were established for the duration of the program. Only a handful have been documented:
- Abbotsford, British Columbia
- Calgary, Alberta
- Edmonton, Alberta
- MacDonald, Manitoba
- Neepawa, Manitoba
- Penhold, Alberta
- Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba
- Weyburn, Saskatchewan
A full list of BCATP bases in Canada is available on Wikipedia.
Copyright ©2012-2020 David A. Wyatt. All Rights Reserved.
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The author is always interested in comments, corrections and further information. Please email to: dawwpg@shaw.ca