St. Catharines Transit

St. Catharines Transit (SCT) was a public transit agency which provided bus services to St. Catharines, Ontario, and the neighbouring city of Thorold. The St. Catharines Transit Commission took over operation of transit services within the city from Canadian National Transportation in 1961.[1] In January 2023, St. Catharines Transit was merged with Niagara Falls Transit and Welland Transit to form a single regional transit service, Niagara Region Transit.[2]

St. Catharines Transit
Bus 0805, a 2008 New Flyer DE40LFR.
Bus 0805, a 2008 New Flyer DE40LFR.
Founded1961
DefunctDecember 31st, 2022
Headquarters2012 First Street Louth
Service areaSt. Catharines and Thorold, Ontario
Service typeBus service, Paratransit
AllianceNiagara Region Transit
Routes25
StationsDowntown Terminal,
70 Carlisle Street
43°09′35″N 79°14′38″W
Fleet75
Fuel typeDiesel, Diesel-electric hybrid
OperatorSt. Catharines Transit Commission
Websitewww.YourBus.com

The Transit Operations Facility opened in 1991 and the Downtown Terminal (within a regional district building of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation) opened in 1996. The bus terminal is also served by Coach Canada for intercity coach service to Toronto,[3] with connections to a number of major cities throughout Canada and the United States.

History

Local public transportation in the area originally consisted of horse drawn cars, subsequently upgraded to electric railway service. Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway Company, founded in 1898, was acquired by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1908 which became Canadian National Railways in 1918 and converted to bus operations after 1931. The portion of this system operating within the City of St. Catharines was transferred to the St. Catharines Transit Commission in 1961, which adopted the operating name of St. Catharines Transit in 1974.[4] All St. Catharines Transit services and equipment were transferred to Niagara Region Transit in January of 2023 to create a single unified regional transit service that included Welland Transit and Niagara Falls Transit.[2] However, buses in the old St. Catharines Transit livery can continue to be seen as not all have been converted to the new livery.

In 2022, the service began exploring an electrification of its existing diesel fleet.[5]

Former Services

Regular routes

The St. Catharines Transit Commission (SCT) operates most of their routes through Downtown St. Catharines, with routes meeting at the Downtown Bus Terminal. Additional main transfer points also existed at The Pen Centre, Fairview Mall, Thorold Towpath Terminal, and at Brock University.

The majority of the routes operated weekdays using one numbering scheme, while weekday evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and major holidays operated with a separate numbering scheme.[6]

Though it may appear confusing at first glance, many routes interlined, meaning that they continued to other routes once reaching their terminus. This occurs in at the bus terminal in Downtown St. Catharines, and at both northern and southern terminals.[7]

Daytime Bus Routes

Although the services are no longer operated by St. Catharines Transit, they continue to operate largely unchanged under Niagara Region Transit as of February, 2023.[2]

Route Name Termini Termini
301 Hospital Downtown Port Dalhousie
302 Ontario Street Downtown Lakeshore Road
303 Pelham Road Downtown Smart Centre West
304 Oakdale Avenue Downtown The Pen Centre
305 Haig Street Downtown Linwell & Geneva
306 Lake Street Downtown Port Dalhousie
307 Niagara Street Downtown Port Weller
308 Grantham Avenue Downtown Grantham Lions Park
309 Geneva Street Downtown Grantham Lions Park
310 Glenridge Avenue Downtown The Pen Centre
311 Hartzell Road Downtown St Davids & Ormond
312 Vine Street Downtown Lakeshore Road
314 Scott Street Fairview Mall Dorchester & Sheman
315 West St. Catharines Downtown The Pen Centre
316 Glenridge Avenue Downtown Brock University
317 Bunting Road Downtown Linewell & Sherman
318 Secord Woods Downtown The Pen Centre
320 THorold The Pen Centre Thorold Towpath Terminal
321 Confederation Avenue Brock University Thorold Towpath Terminal
322 Thorold South Thorold Towpath Terminal Thorold South
323 West Brock Commuter Brock University Pelham & Louth
324 Tupper Drive Brock University Thorold Towpath Terminal
328 Brock Towpath Shuttle Brock University Thorold Towpath Terminal
331 Richmond Street Brock University Richmond & Confederation
335 Brock-Pen Centre Shuttle Brock University The Pen Centre
336 Glendale Avenue Brock University The Pen Centre

Paratransit

In addition to accessible bus routes, which enable those with reduced mobility to board a 'low floor' transit bus, St. Catharines Transit also provides paratransit services for those who cannot board a regular city bus and accessible bus service is not available.

Brock Hub

Located at Brock University this is the main interchange for bus travel within the Niagara Region and to points beyond. Connections are provided by St. Catharines, Niagara and Welland Transit Commissions and Coach Canada. Centrally located to all the local transit services and adjacent to Hwy 406, the university campus is ideal for this purpose.

Former Fleet

In January 2023, St. Catharines Transit's fleet was transferred to Niagara Region Transit as part of the amalgamation of local transit services in the region.

  • New Flyer Industries D40LF
  • New Flyer Industries DE40LF
  • New Flyer Industries D60LF
  • New Flyer Industries XD40
  • New Flyer Industries XD60
  • Nova Bus LFS/LFSA

See also

References

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