All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems

St. Catharines, Ontario

Principal System

Sanderson, Newman & Hough Bus Line (19th Century?)
Nothing is known about this operation except that it issued [undated] passenger fare tokens. 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. Some tokens inscribed Sanderson & Newman Bus Line. (Atwood – Coffee p. 470).

St. Catharines Street Railway Company (01 November 1879 - March 1882)
Incorporated 1874 (Ont.) Service reached Merriton in 1880 and Thorold in 1881. Name changed to StCM&TStRyCo 1882.

St. Catharines, Merriton and Thorold Street Railway Company (March 1882 - 1893)
One line was constructed in 1888 under the legal ownership of the related Niagara & St. Catharines Street Railway Company (Mills 1967).

Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines and Thorold Electric Street Railway Company (1893 - 08 July 1901)
Incorporated 28 July 1893 to acquire the StCM&TStRyCo. Purchased by the NS&T 01 May 1901.

Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway Company (08 July 1901 - December 1960)
Incorporated 1898. Acquired by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1908 which became on 20 December 1918 Canadian National Railways. After 1922 the railway was designated the Canadian National Electric Railways: NS&T Railway District. Local service included St. Catharines, Merriton, Thorold, and Port Dalhousie. After 1931, bus operations were conducted by the NS&T under the Canadian National Transportation Limited name. The NS&T was formally amagamated with parent Canadian National Railways December 1960 (Dobell). (photo Peter Cox).

Canadian National Transportation Limited (December 1960 - 01 September 1961)
Road transport subsidiary of Canadian National Railways. Continuation of NS&T operations pending transfer to municipal ownership.

The Saint Catharines Transit Commission (01 September 1961 - present)
City bylaw of 21 August 1961 established the St. Catharines Transit System (Dobell). Commission established by provincial law 30 March 1962, retroactive to 01 September 1961. From the start transit service was operated in St. Catharines and Thorold. Adopted the marketing name St. Catharines Transit mid 1974 (Canadian Coach 1974). Certain regional routes grouped as Niagara Region Transit from 12 September 2011. (Mills 1967 also cites St. Catharines Public Utilities Commission but this is probably an error). (Dawes et al. 1972, Transit Canada 1975, CUTA 1976-77, CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992, Chow 1998) (photos: W.E. Miller [Peter Cox coll.], Brian Sullivan [Peter Cox coll.], Peter Cox collection)

system logo	Service area population	124,000 (1991)
	Vehicle fleet	51 buses (2000)
	Employees	155 (1991)
	Ridership	5,236,416 (2009)
	Data sources:	CUTA 1991/2 CTHF/SSG 2000 SCT website 2011 (logo) CTF [Aug. 2010] (ridership)

St. Catharines Bus Co. (? - ?)
Bus operator operating in St. Catharines in opposition to NS&T street railway service (CR&MW December 1926, p. 667).

Thorold Transit (circa 1995? - present)
Separate from St. Catharines for a period in the 1990's. By 2000 operated by St. Catharines Transit using StCT buses (CTHF/SSG 2000). Operated by contractor 5-0 Transportation (CPTdb Wiki 2014). Perera 1973 lists that the Town of Thorold received transit operating subsidies from the provincial government separate from St. Catharines. (photo Bus World, Vol. 19, No. 2, Winter 1996-97, p. 17, Chow 1998, CPTdb Wiki 2014).

Modes

Niagara Region Transit (12 September 2011 - present)
Regional transit service linking St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, and Fort Erie. Operation of individual routes is by St. Catharines Transit, Welland Transit, or Niagara Falls Transit. (website 2011).

system logo

Data source:

website 2011

Niagara Region Transit On-Demand (18 August 2020 - present)
Pilot program launched in Pelham, Lincoln, West Lincoln, Wainfleet, and Grimsby. Service contracted to Via Mobility. Initial trial for 12 months, with an option for a further 12 months.

Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Interurban

St. Catharines, Merriton and Thorold Street Railway Company (10 October 1887 - 1893)
Organized from predecessor, the St. Catharines Street Railway Company in 1882 and electrified that company's 1881 interurban animal railway line from St. Catharines to Thorold 10 October 1887 (trial run 05 October 1887).

Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines and Thorold Electric Street Railway Company (1893 - 08 July 1901)
Incorporated 28 July 1893 (Ont.) to acquire the StCM&TStRyCo (see St. Catharines). Purchased by the NS&T 01 May 1901.

Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway Company (19 July 1900 - 28 March 1959>)
Incorporated 1898. Acquired and electrified the bankrupt St. Catharines and Niagara Central (steam operated 12 October 1887 - 1900). Acquired in 1908 by the Canadian Northern Railway which became on 20 December 1918 Canadian National Railways. After 1923 the railway was a component of the Canadian National Electric Railways. Main line from St. Catharines to Niagara Falls. Additional points served included Welland, Port Colborne, Port Dalhousie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Merriton, and Thorold. Coördinated bus services first introduced 15 January 1931 under the Canadian National Transportation Limited name. (Mills 1967). Electric freight operation countinued until 01 June 1960 (RFC). (photo newdavesrailpix)

Last Passenger Runs by NS&T Line

References

• NewDavesRailPix: Ontario, a World Wide Web gallery of photos at the URL: http://newdavesrailpix.com/odds/on/on.htm, 2000.
• Dobell, Mark, St. Catharines Transit, 1961-2001: The First Forty Years St. Catharines: Mark Dobell, 2003.
• Niagara Falls Railway Museum Gallery - Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto, a World Wide Website at the URL: http://www.nfrm.ca/galdisp.php?TitleID=6&resultpage=1&pagesize=4 2006.
• Mills, John M., Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway: A Canadian National Electric Railways Subsidiary Pickering & Montreal: Railfare DC Books, 2007.
• Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway, a document published on the World Wide Web at the URL: http://www.trainweb.org/elso/nst.htm 1997. History pages “Compiled by Peter D.A. Warwick”. Site maintained by W.E. Miller.
• “St. Catharines Transit Commission History”, a world wide web page at the St. Catharines Transit Commission website, URL: http://www.vaxxine.com/stc_transit/history/default.html, 2007.