Colonial Coach Lines and Kingston's Transit History

With the demise of the Kingston electric street railway, Kingston City Coach, a subsidiary of Colonial Coach Lines, was given a ten-year franchise to operate city bus service from March 5, 1930. On March 10 alone, 1,400 interested passengers boarded for the fare of 10 cents.  Interestingly, one of the first priorities was to operate buses to Cataraqui Bay, site of the terminal grain elevator construction. This allowed workers to live in Kingston, thus there was no need to erect shacks and cook houses at the site. The cost of rehabilitating the street railway was estimated to be $325,000 making bus service a much more sensible option. That may not sound like a huge dollar amount, but comparing 1936 dollars to 2024 dollars mean this reconstruction would have a cost of at least $6,000,000. Starting a bus service was easier, quicker and in a global Depression, much more affordable.

That agreement was superseded by City By-Law No. 25 was passed on November 13, 1936, confirming Kingston City Coach Co. and Colonial Coach Lines, Ltd. as the city's designated transit providers for the ensuing ten years. The initial 1936 route schedule was published in the Whig (above), and an intercity Colonial Coach Lines schedule cover from 1945 (below). The Outer Station shuttle speaks to the importance of Canadian National Railways providing most intercity transportation from Kingston until major highways were built.

The service operated by Kingston City Coach lasted until July 1, 1962. Citing rising costs of operating and increased labour [wage] demands, the company was threatening leaving its agreement with the city as early as 1951. With static ridership since 1946, facing the possibility of curtailed routes and increased costs, bus operation was assumed by the Kingston Public Transit System (KPTS) as a public utility. The KPTS moniker was chosen in May, 1962 and the system transferred to the Public Utilities Commission at the end of 1962. This previous post shows Kingston Transit buses in service beginning in that year.

Today, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with someone who was there in the Colonial days, John Carey. In subsequent posts, I'll share photos and information, courtesy of John, showing buses in Kingston as long as 90 years ago! There are certain interwoven themes, beginning in this post with transit lines from that predated our current Kingston Transit (the name first used in 1975). Subsequent posts include:

• bus stations in Kingston
• the buses themselves that were seen on Kingston streets
• John's engaging career story

You won't need to ask for a transfer to get to these posts...just click and enjoy the trip!

On The Buses

I occasionally come across city bus photos. There are not many such photos, so it's always a neat find to come across one. With the demise of the Kingston electric railway, Kingston City Coach, a subsidiary of Colonial Bus Lines, operated city bus service from 1930 until July 1, 1962. Thereafter, buses were operated by the Kingston Public Transit System (KPTS). The KPTS moniker was chosen in May, 1962 and the system transferred to the Public Utilities Commission at the end of 1962. The system was later renamed Kingston Transit (KT). Bus 5609 (a 1952 Canadian Car & Foundry product, originally owned by Kingston City Coach) operating as a school bus at Lasalle Causeway, with Orefax tied up in background on January 15, 1968 (top photo).

Though not evident in the black & white archival photos, the Kingston buses wore an attractive white and light-blue paint scheme, still reflected in today's fleet. This online auction site photo shows bus 6223 operating on the Montreal route (note green flag) and passing St Andrew's Presbyterian Church at Princess and Barrie Streets:

Buses 6216-6230 were the first new buses ordered by KPTS, entering service in October, 1962. Four of the buses were parked at the Cricket Field, in front of the Frontenac Country Court House for their publicity photos by George Lilley, one of which was included in a Whig ad on October 3, 1962 advertising free rides!

The new General Motors buses cost just under $15,000 each. 

6222 on Princess Street, 1966 (below)

Waiting buses at Brock & King Streets, 1965:

New bus orders continued, all from General Motors for their 35-foot 'New Look' models, totalling ten orders over the next 14 years, before orders were placed for higher capacity, 40-foot GM models. 6434 at Brock and King in 1966:

New GM 'fishbowls', 1968:

Interior and exterior views during an industrial site tour, 1967:

Exterior and interior views of the downtown bus barns, 1968:

6532 outside the bus barns, 1965

6222 fights snowy road conditions on Brock Street near City Hall in December, 1968

Through slush at the Traffic Circle, KT 6737 in January, 1969:

KT 6635 at Pine and Division tussle with truck, April 1969:

Sharin' the road - 6333 with a snowmobile during snowy April, 1969:

More photos from the transition era. November 17, 1969 near City Hall:

Winter to spring, 1970:

Weller Avenue accident involving KT 6223 (above) and KT 6229 at City Hall:

Up Brock Street:

(All photos in this post from Queen's University Archives)