ShopDineTour Toronto
ShopDineTour Toronto, registered as Urban Inc., is a tour company based in Toronto, Ontario. They are a subsidiary brand of The Bus and Boat Company.
History
They began as Shop Toronto in May 2002, where owners Timothy Finlason and Troy Lamsee offered tours of Toronto focusing on Toronto’s many shopping districts with a fifteen passenger replica trolley bus. Over the course of their first season, they quickly developed important relationships with local hotels and downtown retailers.
By the end of the 2002 season, it was noticed that there was a demand for double decker bus tours. In late 2002, two antique double decker buses were purchased. For the 2003 tourism season, Shop Toronto acquired an additional fifteen passenger trolley replica bus and expanded the tour to incorporate both shops and restaurants, with an important focus on Toronto history. In 2008, a former GO Transit MCI motorcoach was acquired for inclement weather.
Beginning in May 2009, ShopDineTour Toronto operates the free Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle. A specially wrapped ex-GO Transit MCI motorcoach was used. The other MCI ws used as a backup. In 2010, ShopDineTour Toronto began running a free shuttle from Toronto to Main Street Unionville. Two Prevost H3-40 motorcoaches were acquired for the service.
ShopDineTour Toronto became an affiliate of The Bus and Boat Company, the operator of the City Sightseeing Toronto and the Gray Line Toronto franchises. The Bus and Boat Company acquired the Gray Line assets from PMCL in late 2011. While the Gray Line buses were rebranded for both City Sightseeing and Gray Line, ShopDineTour buses initially retained their own branding; however, starting in 2014, the ShopDineTour Toronto branding began to be gradually phased out in favour of the City Sightseeing Toronto branding.
All-time roster
Fleet number | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | License plate | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
None | Blue Bird | TC/2000 |
| |||||
None | 1968 | Bristol/ECW | Lodekka/bus body |
| ||||
DDD69-1 | 1973 | Daimler | Fleetline | 686 3BF
(prev. BM2 737) |
| |||
DDL66-2 | July 1966 | Leyland | Atlantean | BL6 593 |
| |||
DDL70-3 | 1977 | Leyland/Roe | Atlantean | BN4 528 |
| |||
DDB-4 | 1980 | Bristol/ECW | VRTSL3 | Gardner 6LXB | BM8 627 |
| ||
BB-5 | Blue Bird | All American trolley replica | BM2 745 |
| ||||
MCI-6 | 1990 | TMC | 102-A3 | Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | Allison HT-740 | BM9 364 |
| |
MCI-2-7 | 1991 | MCI | 102-A2 | Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | ZF 5HP600 | BM8 750 |
| |
TF-8 | Ford
? |
?
Replica Trolley |
||||||
TF2-9 | 2003 | Ford
? |
E-Series
Replica Trolley |
|||||
DDB69-10 | 1976 | Bristol/ECW | VRTSL3 | Gardner 6LXB | BM9 375 |
| ||
None | Ford/Girardin | minibus |
| |||||
(two units) | Prevost | H3-40 | Detroit Diesel 6V92TA |
Allison HT-740 | BM9 384 BM9 385 |
| ||
None | Prevost | H3-40 | 333 3BF |
|
Contacts
- Address: 341 Eastern Avenue, Suite 2, Toronto, ON
- email: info@shopdinetourtoronto.com
- Fax: 416-463-7441
- Phone: 416-463-7467
References
- ↑ LIST OF PRESERVED BUSES, nebpt.co.uk, retrieved on 2009-08-01
- ↑ Illustrated Histories For Yorkshire Traction Company Limited, bcv.robsly.com, retrieved on 2009-08-01
- ShopDineTour Toronto Corporate profile, sightseeingtoronto.com, retrieved on 08-12-08