All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems

by David A. Wyatt

St. Thomas, Ontario

Principal System

St. Thomas Street Ry c1900 (Elgin Co. Archives) St. Thomas Street Railway Company (1879 - November 1902)
street railway/light rail Incorporated 07 March 1878 (Ont.) (RFC). Acquired by the City of St. Thomas 1902. (photo Elgin County Archives/flickr).

St. Thomas Municipal Railway (November 1902 - 12 February 1926)
street railway/light rail Electric street railway system shut down 1926 in favour of private enterprise bus service.

Metropolitan Bus Lines Ltd. (12 February 1926 - circa 31 July 1927)
Operating under a contract with the municipality (CR&MW March 1926, p. 149). Entered receivership circa 08 July 1927 (CR&MW August 1927, p. 494).

United Lines Ltd. (04 August 1927 - 05 December 1927)
Headquartered in Hamilton. Bought buses and assumed operations in St. Thomas of MBL (CR&MW September 1927, p. 555 and December 1927, p. 732). Service terminated when voters refused a municipal subsidy (CR&MW January 1928, p. 49).

St. Thomas Transit Co. (circa December 1927 - ?)
Affiliated with the Elgin Motor Co. After UL ended operations in St. Thomas the only transit service was several independent jitney operators (CR&MW January 1928, p. 49). By late 1928 only STTCo was operating (CR&MW December 1928, p. 744).

Richards Coach Lines (01 January 1930 - 1932)
(CR&MW Feb. 1930, p. 112, CR&MW 1931). One of several jitney (bus) service operators in St. Thomas after the end of street railway service. Richards had previously been shut down in London as a result of terms of a new street railway franchise there. All were out of business by the end of 1932 (?/RFC). No transit service operating in St. Thomas in July 1947 (RS).

Bluebird Coach Lines, Ltd. (circa 1950s?)
Operating in April 1950 (RS).

St. Thomas Coach Lines (? - mid 1960's)
Operating in June 1953 (RS). Acquired in the mid 1960's by CT (TC75).

St. Thomas Transit 7502 (GM new look) (Bernard Drouillard 1979) St. Thomas Transit (? - present)
Operated from the mid 1960's to 1983 by Charterways Transportation Limited. Lewis Bus Lines took over that year, but by 1994 CT Ltd was again the contractor (CUTA F94, CC72, TNC86). Operated (2008) by contractor Aboutown Transportation Limited (website 2008). Contractor changed to Voyageur Transportation Services 02 January 2012. (pb89, CUTA 1992 "non-member") (not in CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1989 or CUTA 1988) (Photos Luke Olszewski, Bernard Drouillard [Peter Cox collection], Kevin Nicol)

St. Thomas bus St. Thomas Transit 0802 (Kevin Nicol 2011 Sep 24)

St. Thomas Transit logo
system logo
Vehicle fleet5 buses
Data source:CTHF/SSG 2000
website 2010 (logo)

Modes

Animal railway1879 - 1898
Electric railway16 June 1898 - 12 February 1926
Motor bus12 February 1926 - 1932,
? - present

Copyright ©1989-2013 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
This page last modified: Wednesday, 16-Jan-2013 14:17:19 CST