Richmond Hill Transit
Encyclopedia
Richmond Hill Transit was created in 1960 to provide public transit service in Richmond Hill
, Ontario
, Canada
. It was initially operated by Trailways of Canada Limited, then Travelways
starting in 1976 and Laidlaw
in the 1980s. Services merged with the Markham
, Newmarket
and Vaughan
transit systems to form York Region Transit
in 2001.
RT services were limited due to the size of the town compared to Markham, Ontario
and Vaughan, Ontario
.
as they did not run in a grid like direction:
When Richmond Hill Transit merged with other transit systems to form York Region Transit, an "8" was added to all of then-Richmond Hill's route numbers to avoid having duplicate bus route number with other transit systems (e.g. 1A Mill Street becomes 81A Mill Street). This numbering system stands after the merge.
denotes wheelchair access
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was initially operated by Trailways of Canada Limited, then Travelways
Travelways
Travelways Transportation was a chartered and school bus operator in the Greater Toronto Area and one of a few sub-contractors to GO Transit during the early years...
starting in 1976 and Laidlaw
Laidlaw
Laidlaw, organized as Laidlaw International, Inc. , was a predecessor corporation of First Student , a US subsidiary of the Scottish transport firm FirstGroup plc...
in the 1980s. Services merged with the Markham
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
, Newmarket
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
and Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
transit systems to form York Region Transit
York Region Transit
York Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
in 2001.
RT services were limited due to the size of the town compared to Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
and Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
.
Routes
Richmond Hill's routes were similar to Vaughan TransitVaughan Transit
Vaughan Transit was the transit provider in the town of Vaughan, in southwest York Region, Ontario, Canada. The service operated from 1973 until 2001, when it was merged into York Region Transit.-Route:...
as they did not run in a grid like direction:
- 1A Mill Street
- 1C Yonge-Bayview-Elgin Mills
- 2 Leslie-Spadina-Valleymede-Major Mackenzie
- 3 Bayview-Carville-Pearson-Spring Garden-Mill-Yonge
- 4 Newkirk-Yonge
- 5 16th Avenue-Carville-Rodick
- 6 Weldrick-Palmer
- 7 Major Mackenzie
- 8 Bathurst
When Richmond Hill Transit merged with other transit systems to form York Region Transit, an "8" was added to all of then-Richmond Hill's route numbers to avoid having duplicate bus route number with other transit systems (e.g. 1A Mill Street becomes 81A Mill Street). This numbering system stands after the merge.
Fleet
- Total buses: 26
- 1978-1981 Ontario Bus Industries Orion I 1.501 (#504-507) - retired
- 1985, 1987 Ontario Bus Industries Orion I 1.502 (#508-509) - retired
- 1981 Ontario Bus Industries Orion I 1.503 (#510) - Ex-GO Transit #1508, retired
- 1988, 1991 Ontario Bus Industries Orion II 2.502 (#525-#527)
- 1989 New Flyer IndustriesNew Flyer IndustriesNew Flyer Industries Inc. is a bus manufacturer in North America, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It also has factories in Crookston and St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA.-History:...
D40 (#511-#524) - renumbered to #8911-#8924 all in service - 1998 Champion Bus IncorporatedChampion Bus IncorporatedChampion Bus Incorporated is the brand name of buses made by Thor Industries of Imlay City, Michigan, United States.Buses made under the Champion name include:* Challenger - mid-size bus using a Ford E-series , GM GMT or C4500 truck chassis...
Solo (#528-#530) - renumbered to #9828-#9830, retired - 1999 Orion Bus IndustriesOrion Bus IndustriesOrion International, previously Orion Bus Industries and Ontario Bus Industries in Canada and Bus Industries of America in the United States, is a bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and established by the Government of Ontario in 1975...
Orion VI 06.501 (#531-#533) - renumbered to #9931-#9933, all in service - Prevost CarPrevost CarPrevost is a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.The company now owns Nova Bus and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation.- History :...
Coaches H3-41 - Prevost CarPrevost CarPrevost is a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.The company now owns Nova Bus and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation.- History :...
Coaches H3-45 - Motor Coach IndustriesMotor Coach IndustriesMotor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...
MC-9
denotes wheelchair access
Facilities
Richmond Hill Transit buses were maintained by private contractors:- Pacific Western Toronto Bus Lines - Division 1 (Richmond Hill based buses) - since replaced by Miller Transit LimitedMiller Transit LimitedMiller Transit is a bus transit operator in Markham, Ontario. It once operated buses on behalf of Markham Transit and is now one of the operators of 135 buses for York Region Transit....
- Laidlaw Transit LimitedLaidlawLaidlaw, organized as Laidlaw International, Inc. , was a predecessor corporation of First Student , a US subsidiary of the Scottish transport firm FirstGroup plc...
- Division 2 (Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury and Georgina based buses)
See also
- Markham TransitMarkham TransitMarkham Transit was a transit system for the Town of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1973 and operated by Travelways and Miller Transit Limited on behalf of the Town...
- Vaughan TransitVaughan TransitVaughan Transit was the transit provider in the town of Vaughan, in southwest York Region, Ontario, Canada. The service operated from 1973 until 2001, when it was merged into York Region Transit.-Route:...
- York Region TransitYork Region TransitYork Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
- Toronto Transit CommissionToronto Transit Commission-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
- GO TransitGO TransitGO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
- Viva (bus rapid transit)Viva (bus rapid transit)Viva is a bus rapid transit service operating in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Viva service is integrated with York Region Transit's local bus service to operate as one regional transit system providing seamless transit service across York Region and connections to northern Toronto.Viva was...
- Aurora TransitAurora TransitAurora Transit operated public transit within the town of Aurora, Ontario, Canada, from 1973 to 1999. Service in the town is now provided by the current York Region Transit system.-History:Aurora's public transit system began operations in 1973...
- Newmarket TransitNewmarket TransitNewmarket Transit was the most northerly transit system in York Region, Ontario, Canada. While the town of Newmarket was considerably smaller than any of the three cities in the "southern" part of the York region , the city did have a quality transit service...