Fall for These Wraps!

 

So far there is only one, but like leaves, they will soon fall into place. I'd seen a couple of above-the-window wraps for Master Mechanic Kingston. Then, boom! At Cataraqui Town Centre transfer point, KT 1367 with a full driver's-side wrap. On the way home, noted KT 1366 similarly wrapped!

Kingston Transit Riders!

It's not the Freedom Riders, not the Riders of the Lost Ark, or the Rough Riders (well, except on any of Kingston's many pothole- and crack-laden streets!). Kingston Transit Riders is a new initiative launching in time for the upcoming municipal election that promises transit data, council transit decisions (council decisions, wait, what?), transit news and rider community. I'm getting aboard, bookmarking it in this post to see how it develops.

New Buses in 2026-27!

Up to five more New Flyer XD40's are coming in 2026, likely KT2601-2606, and even more in 2027. These are easily-distinguishable by being the first non-electrics to incorporate white, not orange, route sign graphics. My first sighting of KT2605 was on Route 15 on September 10:

Here it is at Cataraqui Town Centre on September 12 on Route 7, albeit at a great distance:

As more of these enter service through 2026-27, I'll add in-service dates and photos when available.

KT2601- September 14; KT2603 - September 16.

Roblox Rides the Bus?

I admittedly don't know a lot about Roblox. But some Robloxers have spent a lot of time creating images of the Kingston Transit fleet as well as data on the prototype buses. Here's the link.

From Rush Hour to Scrap Yard

KT 2009 New Flyer D40LF's 0942 and 0944 became the oldest buses in regular service following the decommissioning of 0836, 0943 & 0945. Put out to pasture, they are now visible in the Pat Rogers vehicle scrap yard along Creekford Road. 

Bonus: an outside-braced boxcar also inhabits the yard (Googlemaps image):

Summer Wraps

Summertime = tourism time in Kingston, and what better way to advertise just about anything than on the side of a Kingston Transit bus? A few new wraps were unwrapped for summer, 2026:

A new Hip-related 1000 Islands Playhouse wrap first observed August 17, KT 2104 on Route 15:

KT 1369, 1370, 1477 - Cantabile Choirs first observed June 30. Here is KT 1369 on Route 15 as of July 7, Raise your voice over the sound of the bus exhaust!

KT 1370 on August 21:

KT 1359, 1360 - Fort Henry first observed July 5. Here is KT 1359 as of July 10 (below) wore the same wrap in the summer of 2025.

Kingston Express KT 1685 - Thai House Cuisine restaurant first observed July 4. Observed very little throughout July. Finally, on Route 15 on July 29, 2026. Driver's side only. 

BONUS: unedited photos of July KT activity seen outside the newly-reopened Isabel Turner KFPL branch:

By Bus or Boat - KPTS' Marina Terminal, 1962

The year 1962 was one of flux for Kingston's transit system. Not only was the system in transition from private operator Kingston City Coach Lines to the public Kingston Public Transit System, it was also looking for a home. There was no permanent bus terminal. The ad hoc plan was to maintain the buses at...a marina! The White Rose Marina, at the location of the former Canada Steamship Lines) terminal at the foot of Queen Street was the temporary home for service in mid-1962, with a projected move to the CLC property by October, where maintenance would take place until May, 1963. 

The location was quite unsatisfactory - too small, ill-equipped due to small access doors and inadequate jacks, fuel had to be pumped from a tank truck, and limited drain and sewage connections. Bus washing became high-tide. The Whig profiled the operation graphically on July 30, 1962:

Various locations had been surveyed:

The new buses were advertised in the Whig in October, 1962:

Cantabile BTW Wraps - Noted!

Noted! On a trip to pick up groceries, we passed Kingston Express New Flyers covering Route 15 and a Route 501. Both bore a new wrap - did I just see something new? 

In this case, the between-the-wheels wraps are for Cantabile Choirs - 'Raise Your Voice', which is the choral group's latest campaign. On its website, at least six different choral groups are pictured in shades of  blue, pink and purple, such as this one that is on KT 1370:

These wraps may have been applied only to Kingston Express buses due to their blue colour, naturally matching the graphics. More wrapped examples to follow!