Thunder Bay Transit

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Thunder Bay Transit
Thunder Bay Transit bus at Brodie St Terminal.
Founded1970 (Originally 1892)
Headquarters570 Fort William Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
LocaleThunder Bay Urban Area[1]
Fort William First Nation[2]
Service area256 km2 (99 sq mi)[3]
Service typePublic transit
AllianceCUTA[4]
Routes17
Hubs2
Fleet48 low-floor models
14 New Flyer D40LFs
22 NovaBus LFSs
7 Orion Bus Industries Orion VIs
4 Orion Bus Industries Orion VIIs
Daily ridership9,000[5]
Fuel typeDiesel - 45
Biodiesel - 3[6]
OperatorCity of Thunder Bay - Transportation and Works Department
WebsiteThunder Bay Transit

Thunder Bay Transit is the public transit operator in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada and was formed in 1970, after the amalgamation of the cities of Port Arthur and Fort William.[7] Thunder Bay Transit is a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association.

Thunder Bay Transit operates 17 transit routes in the urban area of Thunder Bay and neighbouring Fort William First Nation,[1][2] an area of 256 km2 (99 sq mi).[3] Its fleet of 48 buses run on diesel and biodiesel fuels.[6] Thunder Bay Transit carries 3,300,000 passengers annually, or approximately 9,000 passengers daily, and employs 140 people.[5][8] The company maintains two transit terminals, one at 40 North Water Street in Port Arthur, and the other at 140 North Brodie Street in Fort William.

Thunder Bay Transit is the first transit agency in Ontario to be 100% handicapped accessible,[8] and the first Canadian transit agency to use the NextBus system with passenger counters, fare box integrations and passenger information systems.[9] Template:TOCnestright

History

Public transit in Thunder Bay began in the 1890s. The silver boom had recently ended, destroying Port Arthur's primary economic raison d'être. Compounding the matter was the Canadian Pacific Railway's decision to build its grain elevators and rail yards in neighbouring Fort William, 6 km (4 mi) away. With businesses and population vanishing, Port Arthur decided after much debate to build a street car line to connect the town with the rail yards in neighbouring Fort William, much to that town's chagrin.[10]

In 1891, the town of Port Arthur was authorized to construct and operate the first municipally owned street railway in Canada. The Port Arthur Street Railway (PASRy) commenced operations in March 1892, and in that same year, McDonald and Company commenced operations of a private street railway in neighbouring Fort William, which connected the Port Arthur Street Railway's southern terminus at Fort William's northern town limits into the downtown core of Fort William.[7] Although Fort William wanted nothing to do with Port Arthur's municipal railway, PASRy gained control of the McDonald and Company line on 1 June 1893, and extended its operations into the town.[10]

In 1907, Port Arthur and Fort William became cities. The Ontario Railway and Municipal Board forced Port Arthur to sell its section of the railway in Fort William to that city on 11 March 1908, and to submit to operation by a joint commission until 1 December 1913, under the name Port Arthur and Fort William Railway. Thereafter, each city ran its own street railway—Port Arthur assumed the name Port Arthur Civic Railway in 1914, and Fort William assumed the name Fort William Street Railway.[7] Port Arthur added two belt lines to its main line in 1913, with the first street cars running on the North Belt Line 29 October 1913.

Electric trolley buses were introduced on 15 December 1947,[11] the same year that the Fort William Street Railway was renamed the Fort William Transit Company. The trolley buses were manufactured by J. G. Brill and Company at the Canadian Car and Foundry plant in Fort William. The Intercity trolley coach line of each city's system opened in 1947 and was interlined, with operators' coaches serving the entire line in both cities until 1955.

The next year saw the end of street railway operations in Thunder Bay. Port Arthur's last three antiquated cars made their final run over the North Belt Line on 15 February 1948 in a driving snowstorm,[12] and Fort William's street cars ceased operations on 16 October 1948. In 1949, Port Arthur Civic Railway was renamed Port Arthur Public Utilities Commission, which would remain until 1 January 1970, when Port Arthur and Fort William were amalgamated into the City of Thunder Bay. The system has since been known as Thunder Bay Transit.[7] Electric trolley buses were discontinued on 10 September 1972,[11] and the city has since used diesel buses.

Thunder Bay Transit purchased its first low floor buses in 1994,[13] and by March 2007 became the first entirely handicapped accessible transit agency in Ontario.[8] Later that year, Thunder Bay Transit would implement Grey Island Systems GPS/AVL and NextBus system with passenger counters, fare box integrations and passenger information systems, becoming the first Canadian city to do so.[14]

Fleet

Thunder Bay Transit owns a fleet of 48 buses, which consists of 14 New Flyer D40LFs, 22 NovaBus LFSs, 7 Orion Bus Industries Orion VIs and 4 Orion Bus Industries Orion VIIs. Three of the buses run on biodiesel,[6] and all are handicapped accessible low floor models.[15] Thunder Bay Transit is the first full-sized transit system in Canada to have a fleet entirely of low floor buses.

Interior of bus #218, a bio-diesel Orion VII.
Make and model Description Fleet numbers Year acquired Notes
New Flyer Industries D40LF 40' Diesel bus 111–118, 120–125 1994 119 retired
Nova Bus LFS 40' Diesel bus 126–129 1997
Nova Bus LFS 40' Diesel bus 130–134 1999 133 Bio-diesel
Nova Bus LFS 40' Diesel bus 135, 136 2001
Nova Bus LFS 40' Diesel bus 137–141 2004
Nova Bus LFS 40' Diesel bus 142–144 2006
Nova Bus LFS 40' Diesel bus 145–147 2007
Orion Bus Industries 06.501 40' Diesel bus 210–217 1999 210 Bio-diesel
Orion Bus Industries 07.501 40' Diesel bus 218–221 2004 218 Bio-diesel

Technology

Since September 2007, Thunder Bay Transit buses have been using the Grey Island Systems GPS/AVL and NextBus real-time passenger information systems, which uses GPS sensors and electronic maps to track bus movement and devices to measure passenger numbers.[16] The system uses TBayTel's CDMA wireless network to relay information to the transit office and to electronic signs which will be installed at major transit stops to let riders know when their bus will arrive. These electronic signs will be located at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Lakehead University, Confederation College, and the Intercity Shopping Centre[17] A test of the system was released on 17 March, 2008. It allows passengers to view arrival times for routes 2 Crosstown, 3 Northwood, 8 James and 9 Junot.[18]

Accessibility

To accommodate disabled passengers, Thunder Bay Transit buses are wheelchair accessible low-floor models.[15] Low-floor buses are capable of kneeling to street level and have extending ramps which allow wheelchairs to board safely. Thunder Bay Transit buses had 19,175 rides by persons in wheelchairs in 2006, the most per capita in Ontario.[8] Thunder Bay Transit offers a Night Stop service, where buses will allow passengers to disembark at locations between bus stops during night hours due to safety or security concerns.[19]

Fares and passes

File:ThunderBayTransitPass.jpg
A 20-ride bus pass.

Exact cash fare on Thunder Bay Transit is $2.25, and children under the age of eight ride free when accompanied by an adult. Bus tickets can be purchased in groups of 10 for $17.00, and twenty ride punch passes can be purchased for $30.00. Tickets and twenty ride passes are transferable—they can be shared by many people at one time—and twenty ride passes do not expire. A transfer pass can be obtained when boarding with cash, tickets or a twenty ride pass, and allows passengers to change buses up to two times for the price of one fare. Transfer passes have a one hour time limit and are non-transferable—they can be used only by the person to whom they are issued.

Thunder Bay Transit offers monthly, semester and family/group passes. These passes allow unlimited rides within the time period specified on the face of the card, so that pass holders do not need to use transfers to change buses.

Monthly passes cost $65.00, and discount monthly passes can be purchased for $55.00 by high school students under 18, children between 9 and 12, seniors over 65 and persons with valid disabled ID cards. Family/Group passes can be purchased for $6.00, allow for unlimited trips for two adults and three children, one adult and four children, or two adults. Proof of age is required, and children must be under the age of 18.

Students at Lakehead University receive a U-Pass as part of their tuition, which allows for unlimited trips during the school year for the person to whom the pass is issued.[20] Confederation College students qualify for semester passes, which are valid between either September and December or January and April. They cost $190.00 and are non-transferable.[21]

On 17 March 2008, it was announced that Thunder Bay Transit fares would be increasing on 1 April 2008, the first increase since 2003.[22]

Facilities

A New Flyer D40LF at Brodie St. Terminal
A Novabus LFS at Water St. Terminal

Brodie Street Terminal

Address: 140 Brodie Street North, Fort William
Coordinates: 48°23′07.2″N 89°14′49.5″W / 48.385333°N 89.247083°W / 48.385333; -89.247083
Functions: downtown south core bus terminal
Platforms: 6
Routes: 1, 2, 3, 8, 12

Water Street Terminal

Address: 40 North Water Street, Port Arthur
Coordinates: 48°26′08.7″N 89°13′01″W / 48.435750°N 89.21694°W / 48.435750; -89.21694
Functions: downtown north core bus terminal
Platforms: 6
Routes: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 11

Transit Garage

Address: 570 Fort William Road
Coordinates: 48°25′02″N 89°14′11″W / 48.41722°N 89.23639°W / 48.41722; -89.23639
Functions: main office and bus maintenance

Greyhound Bus Depot

Address: 815 Fort William Road
Coordinates: 48°24′28.6″N 89°14′22.3″W / 48.407944°N 89.239528°W / 48.407944; -89.239528
Functions: privately owned bus depot providing intercity Greyhound bus and courier service. [23]
Routes: accessible by TB Transit route 1 Mainline

Other transfer points

Other terminals, serving two or more routes, are located at Intercity Shopping Centre, Lakehead University and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and Confederation College. The intersection of Brown Street and Frederica Street is a transfer point for routes 4 Neebing, 5 South Neebing, 6 Mission, and 2 Crosstown Westfort.[24]

Routes

Thunder Bay Transit operates 18 regular transit routes covering approximately 350 kilometres (220 miles) of city streets,[5][25] and approximately 90% of the city's urban area is within 300 metres (1000 feet) of a bus stop.[15] Bus routes are anchored on one of the city's two main terminals, and several have buses travelling in only one direction, which can result in unnecessarily long trips between short distances.[26]

Peak routes run Monday to Friday between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm, and Saturday between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. Most peark routes have a frequency of 30 minutes between stops. Some busy routes have a frequency of 15 minutes during rushhour. Non-peak routes run Monday to Saturday between 6:00 pm and 12:40 am, Saturday morning between 6:00 am and 9:00 am, all day Sunday and statutory holidays. Most non-peak routes have a frequency of 40 minutes between stops.[27]

While a survey conducted by Thunder Bay Transit has shown little support for expansion of Thunder Bay Transit service to newer suburbs in the south and northwest of Thunder Bay,[28] Thunder Bay Transit resumed service in South Neebing on March 18 2008 as a six-month pilot project, after which the route will be re-evaluated. It runs twice in the late morning and twice in the late afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Transit service in South Neebing was cancelled in 2004 due to low ridership.[29] The route saw few passengers on its first run. Thunder Bay Transit has a threshold of 10 passengers per hour to maintain a bus route, and it costs $75 an hour to operate a city bus.[30]

Additional routes

A Thunder Bay Transit bus stop at Fort William Historical Park.
1 Mainline Extra
Runs on Weekday evenings and sometimes Saturday and Sunday daytime between Brodie Terminal and Water Terminal to relieve the overcrowded 1 Mainline buses. [31]
Bombardier-Bowater Shuttle
Shuttle service for Bombardier and Bowater employees.
Chippewa Park
Service on weekends during July and August only, or during special events held at the park.
Churchill/Cromarty High Schools Extra
Serves Churchill High School and Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School students on school days with three trips in the morning and one in the afternoon.[32]

Interlining

Interlining is when a bus changes its route when arriving at a terminal. This allows passengers to travel longer distances without having to change buses. The only route that does not interline is 1 Mainline.[24]

Interlining elsewhere
8 James and 9 Junot interline at Intercity Shopping Centre between 6:00 am and 1:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm on Saturdays.
4 Neebing becomes 6 Mission at Brown and Frederica

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Statistics Canada. Thunder Bay Urban Area [map], Canada 2006 Census. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  2. ^ a b Thunder Bay Transit 4 Neebing–6 Mission Route Schedule [map], 2006. The portion of the route highlighted in yellow serves the Fort William First Nation. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  3. ^ a b Mid-sized City Transit in Canada, Field visits: Case study transit systems - Key facts. Retrieved on 30 October 2007.
  4. ^ The Canadian Urban Transit Association lists Thunder Bay Transit as a member. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  5. ^ a b c The City of Thunder Bay, Fourth Annual Accessibility Plan, (2005–2006) pp. 30–31. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  6. ^ a b c "Green Fleet Visits City Hall for Clean Air Day", City of Thunder Bay, 6 June 2007. Retrieved on 5 September 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d Wyatt, David A. (2005). Transit History of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Retrieved on 8 March 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d "Transit celebrates anniversary and accessibility milestones", City of Thunder Bay, 28 February 2007. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  9. ^ "Another First for Thunder Bay Transit", Netnewsledger, 13 September 2007. Retrieved on 13 September 2007.
  10. ^ a b Thunder Bay Museum - Electric Street Railway, 1892. Retrieved on 30 October 2007.
  11. ^ a b Trolleybuses.net - Port Arthur and Fort William. Retrieved on 30 October 2007.
  12. ^ Scollie, F. Brent (1990). The Creation of the Port Arthur Street Railway 1890-95: Canada's First Municipally-owned Street Railway. Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, Papers and Records, XVIII, pp. 40–58, map.
  13. ^ Thunder Bay Transit bus roster 2001. The New Flyer Industries D40LF was the first low floor bus model purchased by Thunder Bay Transit, in 1994. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  14. ^ "Thunder Bay selects NextBus Real-time Passenger Information System", CNW Group, 13 September 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  15. ^ a b c Thunder Bay Transit - Accessibility. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  16. ^ "High tech system for city buses", TBSource, 13 September 2007. Retrieved on 13 September 2007.
  17. ^ "Transit keeps track of buses", The Chronicle-Journal, 14 September 2007. Retrieved on 14 September 2007.
  18. ^ "http://www.thunderbay.ca/index.cfm?fuse=html&pg=5242 Special Events", Thunder Bay Transit. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
  19. ^ The City of Thunder Bay, Fourth Annual Accessibility Plan, (2005–2006) pp. 65. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  20. ^ Lakehead University Student Union - U-Pass. Retrieved on 22 October 2007.
  21. ^ Thunder Bay Transit - Transit Fees. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  22. ^ "City transit fares go up in April", TBSource, 17 March 2008. Retrieved on 17 March 2008.
  23. ^ Greyhound: Thunder Bay Bus Depot
  24. ^ a b Thunder Bay Transit Route Map [map], 2006. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  25. ^ Thunder Bay Transit - Main Page. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  26. ^ Lee, Damien. "Letter to Thunder Bay Transit (Frederica St Arthur St connection)", Indymedia Thunder Bay, 2 October 2006. Retrieved on 3 July 2007.
  27. ^ Thunder Bay Transit - Bus schedule and route maps. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  28. ^ Holland, Ward. "Surveys find little interest in bus service", The Chronicle-Journal, 16 June 2007. Retrieved on 16 June 2007.
  29. ^ "Council revives transit service to South Neebing", TBSource, 11 March 2008. Retrieved on 12 March 2008.
  30. ^ "Slow start for ridership on South Neebing bus route", TBSource, 18 March 2008. Retrieved on 18 March 2008.
  31. ^ Video of Mainline Extra en route to Intercity, lfs147, Youtube. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
  32. ^ Video of Churchill High School Extra, lfs147, Youtube. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.

Further reading

External links

Template:Public Transit Systems in Ontario

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