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Transit 20

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Ya I was wondering that myself. They sure can't use the existing route 17 platform which the new route 1 is replacing - because it's shared with the 8 Franklin bus. That was fine when the 17 only ran every hour and didn't interfere with the 8, but now it definitely will. It needs it's own platform, and they don't have one.

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Question for anyone who can answer:

I was interested in looking up some old route maps and schedules from the early days of Kitchener Transit in the 70s (being both a history teacher and a transit buff, I'm rather interested). I found some pictures of buses online, but nothing map wise,and checking at the library, the earliest map I found was a system map from 1983.

Anyone know where I might be able to find some, if there are any out there? Thanks in advance to anyone with any info.

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Question for anyone who can answer:

I was interested in looking up some old route maps and schedules from the early days of Kitchener Transit in the 70s (being both a history teacher and a transit buff, I'm rather interested). I found some pictures of buses online, but nothing map wise,and checking at the library, the earliest map I found was a system map from 1983.

Anyone know where I might be able to find some, if there are any out there? Thanks in advance to anyone with any info.

Try the Region of Waterloo Archives or Kitchener City Archives.

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About old Kitchener Transit 70's route maps, likewise, wish I had these.

Our old neighbour was a KT transit operator back from PUC days. When I was a kid he gave me his (then current) pocket timetables from about 78/79 out of his grip bag. About 20 years ago when my dad passed away and we were cleaning out the house and I found them, considered keeping them, but then tosed them into the trash. I've been kicking myself ever since.

For what it's worth, these were the original 1973 route names after KT re-organized the old PUC routes:

1 - Queen South / Frederick

2 - Forest Heights / Stanley Park

3 - Ottawa North / Ottawa South

4 - Glasgow / Guelph

5 - Hallman / Lancaster

6 - Bridgeport / Rosemount

7 - Mainline (via University, via Columbia, via Rockway, via Fairway)

8 - Loops (North Loop Weber, South Loop Courtland, North Loop Westmount, South Loop East Ave)

9 - Lakeshore / Lincoln

10 - Industrial Park

11 - Victoria Hills / Country Hills

Amazingly a lot of these still exist, though modified and extended over the years. The Rosemount bus is long gone (the current 'Becker Extension' on the 1 - Stanley Park is a holdover from it) and the 18 - Guelph Street was axed by GRT in 2014.

The original routes 3 & 4 never went to downtown Kitchener. The #3 went straight across Ottawa St at King, and you transfered on the 7 there to go downtown. And the original #4 went via Guelph / Weber / Union / King / John / Park / Glasgow (King & John was the timepoint where buses stood for a couple of minutes). The 3 & 4 were altered to go downtown sometime after the Market Square Terminal was built on Duke St in 1974. Before then all the buses parked around King/Frederick/Benton to transfer with each other. Kind of like old PUC days and the old city hall.

The 10 - Industrial Park originally serviced the then new factories along Wilson, Webster, Wabinaki, Manitou and Bleams Road; and only ran Mon-Fri during rush hour, plus a late night run. This became the 10- Doon Valley after the big subdivision was built around Pioneer Drive in the mid 70's, and the route was extended down there (with increased mid-day service). It became the 10 - Conestoga College after the Doon Campus was built in the early 80's.

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More to help you.

Old to current...

1 Queen South is today's 25 Queen South

Originally it did a loop using Warren / Forest Hill / Fisher (it wasn't Fisher-Hallman yet) to get back on Queen to go downtown. As Kitchener grew, so did this route.

1 Frederick is today's 15 Frederick

Ran - Frederick / Weber / Queen / Lancaster / Victoria / Edna / Frederick / River / Victoria / Smetana (when it was still a thru-street) / Marketa / Matthew / Natchez and back to downtown (return trip turned direct onto Frederick from Victoria like today).

2 Forest Heights is today's 2 Forest Hill

Actually hasn't changed much except it looped around McGarry and Forestwood and then went back to downtown. No Highland Hills Mall yet.

2 Stanley Park is today's 1 Stanley Park

Ran Krug / River / Lorraine / Carson / Confederation / Halifax / Heritage / Lorraine and return to downtown. They shifted the route to the Stanley Park Mall after it was built in the mid 70's.

3 Ottawa South is today's 3 Ottawa South

Don't remember it that well as I never had to use it, but I think it looped around Williamsburg / Westmount / Dunsmere / Laurentian / Westmount / Williamsburg to return back to Ottawa St. No Forest Glen Plaza terminal yet.

3 Ottawa North is today's 23 Idlewood

This one I'm really hazy on, but it did roll around in the Idlewood subdivision after it turned off Ottawa St. Holborn / Old Chicopee and Edenbridge I'm sure were part of it's route.

4 Glasgow is today's 4 Glasgow

Looped around Inwood and Westwood to return back to Glasgow (The Boardwalk was decades away). Originally it turned on Park from Glasgow to John to King to Union and became the 4 Guelph Street.

4 Guelph Street is gone

Used to run Union / Weber / Guelph / St Leger / Union / Maple / Guelph / Weber / Union / King / John - then turned into 4 Glasgow.

5 Hallman / Lancaster is today's 5 Erb

Starting from the timepoint at Bridgeport & King, it ran Bridgeport/Caroline to Erb / McDougall / Keats Way / Amos / Erb / Hallman (not Fisher-Hallman yet) / Keats Way / McDougall / Erb (King & Erb was a timepoint) to Bridgeport / Lancaster / Hamel / Mackie / Bridgeport and continued the cycle.

6 Bridgeport was still the same route until GRT created the current 6 Bridge in 2014 (a good improvement)

King / Wellington / Lancaster / Bridge / Stanley / Schweitzer / Daniel / Bloomingdale / Bridge and back to downtown.

6 Rosemount is long gone. Kitchener Transit spun it off as 12 Rosemount later in the 70's, then axed it outright in the early 80's.

It ran Weber / Cameron / East / Krug / Becker / Fife / Bruce / Rosemount / Sherwood / Smithson / Belleview / Becker / Krug and return to downtown.

I joyrided this route just once as a student in 1982 when one of the funky new Orion buses was on it (either Kitchener Transit 801 or 802).

7 Mainline

Not much different.

Mainline via University is the same as current 7D

Mainline via Columbia is the same as current 7E

Mainline via Rockwood was the continued loop at the Rockwood terminal like the trolley buses did. This was axed later as the 7 Mainline via Kingswood was added to continue to Fairview Mall on the other side of the expressway from...

Mainline via Fairway - which is the same as the current 7B, except it stayed straight on Weber all the way to Fairway Road (no Kinzie / Thaler thing).

The 7C Conestoga Mall was added after that mall was built.

The 7 A Connaught and 7E Wilson was done sometime in the early 80's (splitting up the old Kingway routing).

8 Loops - A lot like the present day.

8 North Loop Weber = 8 University via Weber

8 South Loop Courtland = 8 Fairview via Courtland

8 North Loop Westmount = 8 University via Westmount

8 South Loop East Ave is a bit different from today's 8 Fairview via Franklin

It originally ran on the East Ave extension all the time, then straight down Weber to Kinzie / Thaler / Fairway Rd.

The Weber to Franklin to Weber was added later after a 3 Franklin was created some time in the later 70's, and this took it over. The route became too long and was affecting the other loops, so the East Ave portion became evenings / Sunday only. And the Kinzie / Thaler portion was taken over by the route 7.

To be continued...

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9 Lakeshore = today's 9 Lakeshore, except it didn't start at the UofW or go to Conestoga Mall, mainly because that mall wasn't built yet.

Starting from University @ King - University / Hazel / Albert / Weber / Parkside / Cedarbrae / Glen Forest / Tollgate / Highpoint / Rolling Hills / Havelock / Glen Forest and return via reverse route to University @ King

9 Lincoln = 12 Conestoga Mall now, well that portion from University & King to the Lincoln Heights neighbourhood.

From University @ King - University / Carter / Marshall / Lincoln / University / Braemore / Sandowne / Dunvegan / Lexington / Lee / Dunvegan and reverse route to University @ King.

10 Industrial Park was the start of today's 10 Conestoga College. I don't remember the routing as I never used it, but it did loop around the Wilson, Webster, Wabinaki, Manitou and Bleams area. Again it was streamlined and extended as the suburbs and the college were built.

11 Country Hills = today's 11 Country Hills

It hasn't changed much except no Forest Glen terminal yet. I belive it looped around by travelling up Strasburg to Block Line and to Kingswood to return to downtown.

11 Victoria Hills = today's 20 Victoria Hills

This route is the exact same as the rush hour 20 today - the ones that don't go to the Highland Hills Mall.

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Thanks for all this...I'd love to see the schedules/maps. I do recall many of those routes had 20 min rush hour service.


As for 3 Ottawa North, I'm guessing it was similar to what it was before it disappeared: Ottawa, Hickson, River, Kenora, Old Chicopee, then Holborn, Shaftsbury, and back the othe way on Ottawa. That's my memory from late 70s/early 80s...I recall it stopped at the Mall when it was built (as did the 1), but it didn't stop on its way back from Shaftsbury.

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GRT route 7 from 2000, just when Kitchener Transit and Cambridge Transit merged. The timetables in 2000 still use the Kitchener Transit colours.

There must be two versions of this exact timetable, because I have a Sept. 2000 route 7 timetable and it is blue/grey

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well seeing as GRT was smart enough to upload updated platform layouts for a single terminal, can any of these bus driver friends make themselves useful and reveal where the new route 1 Queen *South*-River will stop at Fairview?

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Believe it or not, the new 1 Queen/River will use the same platform at Fairview Mall as the 8 University via Franklin/Westmount - and yes the two will conflict during the AM & PM rush hours.

Casually emailed GRT this and immediately got this response:

"We just made a revision to terminal. Rt. 1 will be at 2232 and Rt. 8 Franklin will be at 3228."

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Yes - I asked my friend/contact last night, and it seems they have changed plans at Fairview Park. The 12-Conestoga Mall stop is being moved up, and the new 1-River will be in between the 12 and 52 stops. I assume they will leave enough room for pedestrians to get out of the mall, there should be anyhow.

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The terminal diagrams have been updated on the GRT website to show this.

I'm guessing they're going to abandon the Highland Hills terminal eventually, as only the 22 goes into it now.

As for the Boardwalk, it seems that 3 buses are sharing the extra long platform at one end...I'm guessing, as the 29 and 4 are less frequent, there will be plenty of room.

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