All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems
Alberta Communities (A - G)

by David A. Wyatt

Bow Valley Region, Alberta

Town of Banff Shuttle Bus (1994 - 199?)
(RS). Contract operator Banff Transportation and Tours. Probably just renamed to BTS.

Banff Orion 01 in 2005 (Dale Randall) Banff Transit System (199? - 31 May 2008)
"Half-hourly on two routes in the summer, half-hourly on 1 route spring and fall, and hourly on that same route in winter" (DW 1998). Multi-route service in operation by or before 2005. Contract of operator Banff Transportation and Tours terminated prematurely 31 October 2007. Temporary contractor Pinnacle Tours assumed operations from 05 November 2007 until 31 May 2008, when a new contractor took over. (Photo: Dale Randall).

Roam [Banff] 1 (Novabus LFS) (David A. Wyatt 2009 Oct. 14) Roam (01 June 2008 - present)
Operations contracted to Brewster, Inc.. (photo: David Wyatt). Responsibility for service assumed by Bow Valley Regional Transit Authority 01 March 2012. The BVTA is administered by the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission (established 21 April 2011) (Bus Industry, Vol. 25, No. 96, June 2011, pp. 12-13). Commission members are the Towns of Banff and Canmore, and Improvement District #9 [Banff National Park]. The BVRTA began transit service between Canmore and Banff in December 2012 (website 2012). Local service in Canmore began 01 November 2016. Free daily service to Lake Minnewanka implemented 19 May 2017 - 10 September 2017 in cooperation with Parks Canada. Service between Banff and Lake Louise started 09 October 2018. Operated under contract by Brewster Tours (Street Side Guide 2015).

Roam [Banff] logo
system logo
Ridership519,354 (2009)
Data sources:CTF [Aug. 2010] (ridership)
website 2010 (logo)

Secondary Systems

Lake Louise Tramway (1912 - 1930 (Annually May through September))
motor tram A 3½ mi. (5.7 km) single track narrow gauge (3'6"/1067mm) line operated by open and closed gasoline trams, between the CPR station at Laggan (renamed Lake Louise 1914) and the Chateau Lake Louise hotel (elevation 5680 ft (1731 m)). Tramway and hotel were properties of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. (Lavallée 1972).

Parks Canada (19 May 2017 - 09 October 2017, 18 May 2018 - 08 October 2018)
Daily free shuttle service in Lake Louise 19 May 2017 - 10 September 2017, 18 May 2018 - 08 October 2018. Daily free shuttle service from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake 11 September 2017 - 09 October 2017, 10 September 2018 - 08 October 2018. Daily free bus service between Banff and Lake Louise 19 May 2017 - 10 October 2017, 18 May 2018 - 08 October 2018.

Modes

gascar tramway1912 - 1930
motorbus1994 - present

Reference

Brooks, Alberta

Brooks Transit minibus circa 2001 Brooks Transit (04 September 2001 - circa 31 December 2001)
“Two routes operating between 0700 and 1700 Monday to Friday. There will also be a shuttle service from the downtown core to the Brooks Campus of Medicine Hat College.” Operated by Cardinal Coach Lines. Service discontinued due to low ridership. (CTN 2001, 2002) (photo KdR 2002).

Newell minibus (2012 Newell County photo) Newell Mini-bus (circa 2012 - present)
Demand-responsive bus service connecting locations in the County of Newell with Brooks. Schedule rotates through the week: Tilley & area (Mondays); Scandia & area (Tuesdays); Gem & area (alternate Wednesdays); Patricia & area (alternate Wednesdays); Rolling Hills & area (Thursdays); and Bassano & area (Fridays). Service is open to anyone, including Brooks residents visiting County locations. (website 2012, 2015, photo: Newell County website).

Camrose, Alberta

? ("a few months in 1970.")
Promotional operation conducted by a real estate developer (Canadian Coach 1971).

Camrose Community Bus (circa April 2016 - present)
Introduced initially as the Camrose City Bus operating fixed route service two half-days per week (Tuesday mornings and Friday afternoons). September 2016 increased to two full days per week (Tuesdays and Fridays) and rebranded Camrose Community Bus. By January 2017 service was three days/week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays). On 18 February 2017 service increased to four days/week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays). Operated by contractor Rose City Handivan Society with funding from the City of Camrose.

Cold Lake, Alberta

The City of Cold Lake was formed in 1996 by the amalgamation of the towns of Cold Lake and Grand Centre with the community of Medley.

Cold Lake Transit System (13 September 2004 - 07 June 2005)
Service cancelled because of deficits and/or low ridership.

Cold Lake Transit (26 August 2015 - present)
A new public transit system began service in Cold Lake in August of 2015. Service is fare-free [at least through 2016].

Cold Lake Transit logo
system logo (2015)
Data source: website (2015)

Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass was formed 01 January 1979 by the amalgamation of the villages Bellevue and Frank, the towns Blairmore and Coleman, and Improvement District No. 5 (which included the hamlet of Hillcrest). (Wikipedia).

? (1920s?)
Bus service in Crowsnest Pass established circa 1920. Owned by William “Bill” Blinston. Company apparently had one Reo bus and employed two drivers. (Crowsnest Pass and Its People, p. 837 [1979]).

Community Transit Service (27 January 2016 - 26 February 2017)
Transit service three days/week (Wednesday - Friday) connecting Hillcrest, Bellevue, Frank, Blairmore, and Coleman. Five round trips/day. (website 2016). Fixed route service replaced with demand-responsive service in early 2017.

RIDECrowsnest (27 February 2017 - present)
Demand-responsive transit service operating five days/week. Mondays and Fridays service is municipality-wide. Tuesdays are dedicated to Blairmore and Frank, Wednesdays Hillcrest and Bellevue, and Thursdays Coleman. (website 2017).

Drumheller, Alberta

The Town of Drumheller was reconstituted in 1998 as the amalgamation of the former City of Drumheller and the M.D. of Badlands No. 7. This resulted in Drumheller absorbing seven unincorporated communities that were previously under the jurisdiction of the M.D.: Aerial, Cambria, East Coulee, Lehigh, Nacmine, Rosedale and Wayne. Drumheller previously absorbed the sizeable communities of Midlandvale, Newcastle and North Drumheller during annexations while under city status. Eladesor, Kneehill, Rosedale Station, Western Monarch and Willow Creek are other localities within Drumheller that were absorbed through past annexations or its eventual amalgamation with the M.D. of Badlands No. 7 (Wikipedia).

Valley Bus and Taxi Co [Drumheller] early 1920s (Tanke 2008) Valley Bus & Taxi Co. (January 1920 - 1923)
Owners Harold Lowe and James Lowe. Operated between the Regent Theatre, Fernet Store, Newcastle Store and Monarch Mine. Company sold 1923 to William H. Rounds. (Tanke 2008).

Drumheller Bus and Taxi Co. (1923? - ?)
Operating a scheduled bus service from Nacmine via Drumheller to Rosedale (CR&MW September 1928, p. 555). Nacmine is about 6 km west of Drumheller. Rosedale Station is about 8 km southeast. A Calgary Herald article dated 15 October 1929 (p. 10) reported inauguration of a new bus service to Midland by Drumheller Valley Bus and Taxi Co., owned by W. Rounds. It seems likely that careless reporting would account for at least some of the variations in company names between 1920 and circa 1937.

Red Deer Valley Bus Lines [Drumheller] 1937 (WHS 88033) The Red Deer Valley Bus Lines (1930s?)
Owner William H. “Billy” Rounds. Assumed to be a continuation of DVB&T. (Glenbow Museum NA-1846-10 circa 1935, photo: Wisconsin Historical Society 88033 1937)

Brown's Bus Line (? - ?)
Proprietor William Brown was refused an operating subsidy by Drumheller City council in 1962 (Calgary Herald Feb. 21, 1962 p. 16).

Mike's Bus Lines (? - ?)
Operator of local bus service in Drumheller in 1974 (Edmonton Journal Oct. 28, 1974, p. 19).

References

Fort Chipewyan, Alberta

Fort Chipewyan is an isolated unincorporated community in Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality.

Woosh (18 April 2017 - present?)
Bus service connecting the townsite with the airport scheduled to coordinate with flight arrivals and departures. Service is expected to be seasonal, operating in Spring, Summer and Fall. (Fort McMurray Today 30 March 2017). From 03 March 2017 a three month pilot of Saturday-only transit service is operated between Moose Island, Alberta, and Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Residents of Fort Chipewyan travel by private boat to Moose Island to meet the bus service.

Fort McMurray, Alberta

The City of Fort McMurray was merged with the surrounding rural municipality (Improvement District 18) to form the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo 01 April 1995. At 63,343 km2 it is geographically the largest municipality in Canada. Transit service is confined largely to the urban area of the former City of Fort McMurray.

Fort McMurray Transit (April 1980 - present)
Operation conducted under contract by Diversified Transportation Ltd. (CUTA TT89, pb96, website 2003). In online and published materials this system refers to itself as Fort McMurray Transit and Wood Buffalo Transit, often in the same document (website 2011). System has also used Wood Buffalo Express in some materials (website 2003). CTHF/SSG 1998 lists this operation as Wood Buffalo Transit but CTHF/SSG 2000 returns to FMT. Circa September 2011 the system adopted the brand name Woosh. Beginning 01 July 2013 operation and maintenance was contracted for 15 years to Tok Transit Alberta Limited a division of Tokmakjian Group. Woosh also operates a two days/week rural bus service connecting Fort McMurray with Anzac, Janvier and Conklin (website 2014, 2015). Operating contract with TOK Transit cancelled effective 21 May 2015 in favour of in-house operation commencing 22 May 2015. From 18 May 2017 a three month pilot of Thursday-only transit service is operated between Fort McMurray and Fort McKay. (CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992)

Fort McMurray Transit logo
system logo
Service area population34,000 (1991)
47,705 (2006 census)
76,797 (2010 municipal census)
Ridership1,178,872 (2009)
Vehicle fleet17 buses (2000)
Employees3 (City),
37 (DTL) (1991)
Data source:CUTA 1991/2
CTHF/SSG 2000
CTF [Aug. 2010] (ridership)
website 2011 (logo)

Note

The oil sands industry has a long history of providing commuter transportation to employees. Syncrude and Suncor (formerly G.C.O.S.) have from time to time contracted bus service to Sunburst Motor Coaches, [Canadian] Coachways System, Diversified Transportation Ltd. and Grey Goose Bus Lines (Alberta) Ltd. Both services operated by Diversified in 1996 (pb96). By 2012 Diversified Transportation Ltd. was operating dozens of routes for workers from every Fort McMurray neighbourhood to Shell, Suncor and Syncrude employment centres (www.mybusroute.ca 2012). More recently companies have built “camps” for employees. Operator Onkod provides scheduled bus service between Fort McMurray and the Borealis, Millenium and Noralta camps (www.albertabus.com 2012).

Grande Prairie, Alberta

Grande Prairie Transit 801 (GM new look) (Brian Sullivan 1981) Grande Prairie Transit (02 March 1981 - present)
Operation conducted by a contractor. Initial contractor in 1981 was Evergreen Transportation. Contractor from 1996 has been Cardinal Coach Lines. Conversion from a contractor operation to a municipal operation occured September 2013. From December 2018 became the contract operator of the rural transit service in Grande Prairie County. (CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992, Photos: Peter Cox, BARP)

Grande Prairie buses (BARP photo)

Grande Prairie Transit logo
system logo
Service area population28,000 (1991)
Vehicle fleet15 buses (2000)
Employees21 (1991)
Data source:CUTA 1991/2
CTHF/SSG 2000
website 2010 (logo)

References

Grande Prairie County, Alberta

County Connector (05 December 2018 - present)
Bus service connecting Sexsmith and Clairmont with Grande Prairie. Eight round trips each weekday. Service is operated under contract by Grande Prairie Transit. A second route serving Wembley, Beaverlodge and Hythe expected to start in early 2019. (MyGrandePrairieNow 30 October 2018).


Copyright ©1989-2018 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: Friday, 21-Dec-2018 21:07:11 CST