All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems

Durham Region, Ontario

Principal System

Oshawa Railway Company (13 June 1895 - 31 December 1959)
Incorporated 23 June 1887 (Dom.) as the Oshawa Railway and Navigation Company. Name changed to ORyCo 28 August 1891. After 01 March 1910 company controlled by the Grand Trunk Railway which was absorbed by Canadian National Railways 1923, the ORy becoming part of Canadian National Electric Railways (RFC). Bus operations began 28 January 1940 under the Canadian National Transportation Limited name. Railway freight switching by the ORy continued long after the replacement of streetcar service with buses, and was dieselized in 27 June 1964. The remaining rails were deactivated in the Spring of 1998 and removed in November 1998 (email 1998). (Mills 1967, photo: Oshawa Public Library)

System logo

Oshawa Transit (01 January 1960 - 31 December 2005)
Operated by the Oshawa Public Utilities Commission 1960 - 1996 (Canadian Coach 1970, Dawes et al. 1972, Transit Canada 1976). Since 1996 operation has been by the municipality. Oshawa, Whitby, Bowmanville, and Pickering-Ajax transit systems amalgamated in 2006. (CUTA 1976-77, CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992, Chow 1998, photo: Bernard Drouillard [Peter Cox collection]).

System logo	Service area population	160,000 (1997)
	Vehicle fleet	41 buses (2000)
	Employees	96 (1991)
	Data source:	CUTA 1991/2 Oshawa Transit 1997 CTHF/SSG 2000

Durham Region Transit (01 January 2006 - present)
Amalgamation of transit operations in Oshawa, Whitby, Pickering-Ajax, and Bowmanville. Rapid bus service under the branding DRT Pulse commenced 29 July 2013. (website 2005). Whitby area contract operator Trentway-Wagar Inc. (alias Coach Canada) replaced 31 December 2016 with PWTransit Canada Ltd.

system logo Pulse logo (2013)	Ridership	8,508,958 (2009)
	Data source:	website 2010, 2013 CTF [Aug. 2010] (ridership)

R.A. Morgan (circa September 1926 - 15 October 1926)
Local bus service in competition with ORy, fleet of 2 buses, 7¢ fare (CR&MW October 1926, p. 556 and December 1926, p. 665).

Queen Bus Lines (? - Spring 1929)
Suburban Toronto - Oshawa service acquired by Gray Coach Lines (Canadian Coach 1969).

Pickering - Ajax System

[GO Transit] (May 1967 - ?)
Fixed route service. Discontinued for lack of patronage (Shortreed). Canadian Coach 1972 says that circa 1967 Pickering had a 1-bus limited local transit service (without mentioning GO).

Bay Ridges Dial-A-Bus (06 July 1970 - 27 January 1973)
Demonstration dial-a-bus operation conducted by the Government of Ontario. Local GO fixed route supplementary service introduced 28 February 1972 (Canadian Coach 1972). Taken over by the municipality 1973 (Canadian Coach Vol. IX, No. 1, January/February 1973). (Shortreed says demo ended January 1974)

Pickering Dial-a-Bus (27 January 1973 - ?)
(CUTA 1976-77, photo: Bernard Drouillard [Peter Cox coll.]).

Pickering Transit (? - 03 September 2001)
It was announced 29 February 2000 that transit services in Ajax and Pickering would merge (press release 2000). (Sotnyk 1981, CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992, pb96, Chow 1998)

system logo	Service area population	65,000 (1991)
	Vehicle fleet	24 buses (2000)
	Employees	75 (1991)
	Data source:	CUTA 1991/2 CTHF/SSG 2000 PT website 1998 (logo)

Ajax Pickering Transit Authority (04 September 2001 - 31 December 2005)
Amalgamation of Ajax and Pickering transit systems under a memorandum of agreement completed in June 2000. Amalgamated with other Durham Region transit systems at the end of 2005.

system logo

Data source:

website 2002 (logo)

Ajax System

Ajax Transit (? - 03 September 2001)
Perera 1973 lists that the Town of Ajax received transit operating subsidies from the provincial government. System operated for the Town by Charterways Transportation Limited (CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992). Not on the CT Ltd systems list in 1994 (CUTA F94.). It was announced 29 February 2000 that transit services in Ajax and Pickering would merge (press release 2000). (pb96, Chow 1998) (not in Sotnyk 1981) (Photo: Peter Cox collection).

Whitby System

Garton Coach Lines (? - 1960)
GCL bought by BBL 1960. (Ross).

Burley Bus Lines (1960 - 31 July 1970)
Local transit service cancelled 1970, except one hourly route to Oshawa (Canadian Coach 1971).

Charterways Transportation Limited (8 weeks 1976)
Trial service (Transit Canada 1976).

Whitby Transit (? - 31 December 2005)
Operated under contract by Charterways Transportation Limited (CUTA TT89). (pb96). Not on the CT Ltd systems list in 1994 (CUTA F94). Amalgamated with other Durham Region transit systems at the end of 2005. (CUTA 1992 "non-member", Chow 1998) (not in CUTA 1991/2)

Bowmanville Systems

Glover's Bus Line (1847 - 19th Century?)
Issued [undated] passenger fare tokens for use in Bowmanville. The typical business pattern was common carrier scheduled omnibus service between railway station(s) and local hotels, coordinated with train arrivals and departures. The firm also engaged in charter activities, operated stage coach routes, and carried mail. (The Glovers of Bowmanville 2015, Atwood – Coffee p. 465).

Orono Stage Line (19th Century?)
J.W. Jackson, owner. Nothing is known about this operation except that it issued [undated] passenger fare tokens for use in Orono. The typical business pattern was common carrier scheduled omnibus service between railway station(s) and local hotels, coordinated with train arrivals and departures. Most such firms also engaged in charter activities, and some also carried mail. (Atwood – Coffee p. 468, photo: public domain).

Garton Coach Lines (? - 1960)
Service area reduced when Oshawa annexed area in 1955. GCL bought by BBL 1960. (Ross).

Burley Bus Lines (1960 - 1970)
BBL acquired by Charterways Transportation Limited circa May 1970 (Canadian Coach 1970). Not on the CT Ltd systems list in 1994 (CUTA F94). (Canadian Coach 1969, Ross).

Clarington Transit (19 August 2002 - 31 December 2005)
Operated under contract by the Oshawa Transit Commission using buses provided by the municipality. Service was free until fare collection began 03 September 2002. Fares are integrated with Oshawa Transit and Whitby Transit. (Richard Oldfield 2002). Amalgamated with other Durham Region transit systems at the end of 2005.

system logo

Data source:

website 2002 (logo)

Modes

References

• NewDavesRailPix: Ontario, a World Wide Web gallery of photos at the URL: http://newdavesrailpix.com/odds/on/on.htm, 2000.
• “The Glovers of Bowmanville” A wordpress article on the world wide web, 2015.
• Miller, W.E., The Oshawa Railway Company, a world wide web site at the URL: http://www.trainweb.org/elso/or.htm 1998.
• Morgan, Clayton M., with Charles D. Taws, Remembering the Oshawa Railway, Bowmanville, Ontario: The Bowmanville Museum, 1995.
• Ross, Greg, “Burley Once, Burley Twice,” Bus Industry, Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan-Feb 1979, pp. 7-14.