Williams Omnibus Bus Line
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Williams Omnibus Bus Lines was the first mass transportation system in the old City of Toronto, Canada with four six-passenger buses. Established in 1849 by local cabinetmaker Burt Williams, it consisted of horse-drawn stagecoaches operating from the St. Lawrence Market to the Red Lion Hotel in Yorkville. The bus line was a great success, and four larger vehicles were added in 1850. After a few years, even more buses were in use, and were operating every few minutes. In 1861, the city gave a 30-year franchise for to Toronto Street Railways who built a horse car line, and the gauge of the buses was modified so as to fit between the tracks. The bus system lasted only until 1862, when it was bought out by the TSR. The omnibuses were manufactured by Williams' own cabinet-making store on Yonge Street, H. Burt Williams.
Prior to Williams' operations, there were a variety of stagecoach operators in the city:
- Marlborough
- Rossin House Hotel - King and Wellington Streets
- Charles Thompson - Yonge Street from Richmond Hill (Elgin Mills Hotel) to St. Lawrence Market
- Eastern Mail Stage
- Rouge - Scarborough, Ontario
- Markham Village - Markham Village
- Western Mail Stage - Lambton House to Dundas (Hamilton, Ontario)
- Streetsville - now Mississauga, Ontario
- Holland Landing - from York to Holland Landing
- Pine Grove
- Canadian Transfer Company
- Samuel D. Purdy 1816 - founder of first stagecoach line in Upper Canada from York to Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
- William Weller 1832 - from Coffin Block to Kingston, Ontario and also operated services in Cobourg, Port Hope, Peterborough, Kingston-Prescott; mayor of Cobourg, Ontario
- John Playter 1828-1832 from York to Newmarket
[edit] Fleet
| Builder | Description | Fleet size | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
| H. Burt Williams cabinet store, Toronto | small omnibus (6 passenger stage coach) | 4 | 1849 | 1862 | |
| H. Burt Williams cabinet store, Toronto | large omnibus | 4 | 1850 | 1862 |
[edit] See also
The companies and agencies that succeeded Williams:
- Toronto Transportation Commission
- Toronto Transit Commission
- Toronto Street Railways
- Toronto Railway Company
- Toronto Civic Railways
[edit] References
- Filey, Mike (1986). Not a One Horse Town. Willowdale, Ontario: Firefly Books. ISBN 0969150113.
- A Very, Very Brief History of Transit in Toronto. Transit Toronto (2006-11-10). Retrieved on 2007-07-21.
| Preceded by None |
Public Transit in Toronto 1849-1861 |
Succeeded by Toronto Street Railways |
 |
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