Gray Coach was a Canadian inter-city
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
line based in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, from 1927 to 1992. It was founded and initially owned by the
Toronto Transportation Commission
Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.
H ...
, until sold to
Stagecoach in 1990. In 1992 the business was sold to
Greyhound Canada
Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC began as a local British Columbia bus line in the early 1920s, expanded across most of Canada, and became a subsidiary of the US Greyhound in 1940.
In 2018, Greyhound pulled out of Western Canada, preserving ...
and the brand was retired.
Overview and history
![CNE Automotive Building TTC Exhibit 1936](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/CNE_Automotive_Building_TTC_Exhibit_1936.jpg)
Gray Coach Lines was a suburban bus and sightseeing tour operator founded in 1927 by the
Toronto Transportation Commission
Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.
H ...
(TTC). From 1927 to the 1930s, Gray Coach acquired numerous and smaller competitors in the
Greater Toronto Area. The operator eventually dominated inter-urban bus service by the end of the 1930s, replacing or succeeding many
Toronto and area interurban radial lines that had previously provided interurban transportation by light rail.
![Gray Coach Lines shield](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Gray_Coach_Lines_shield.png)
Gray Coach used inter-urban coaches to link Toronto to outlying areas throughout Southern Ontario, such as
Owen Sound
Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.
The primary tourist attractio ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Kitchener,
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
,
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...
,
Sudbury,
North Bay,
Barrie
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...
and
Hamilton. Gray Coach also offered service to
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
and in a pooling agreement with
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...
, to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. In addition, Gray Coach operated sightseeing tour service in and around Toronto, eventually in association with
Gray Line tours. Gray Coach Lines also provided one-hour Motor Launch Tours of the lagoons off Toronto's harbour and of the waterfront (used Amsterdam canal style boats with large glass top now run by Toronto Harbour Tours). The main bus terminal was at the
Toronto Bus Terminal on Elizabeth Street, downtown. A secondary terminal for parcel service was operated at the corner of Front and
Sherbourne Streets and a secondary bus terminal, the
Sunnyside Bus Terminal was located at Queen Street West and Roncesvalles in Toronto's west end.
Gray Coach was contracted to operate some
GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
bus services when the latter was started in 1971. Eventually GO Transit took over some Gray Coach routes were, including the Hamilton, Oshawa and Port Perry runs. The contracting for GO Transit ended in 1985, when GO began to completely operate its own buses.
By the 1980s, Gray Coach faced fierce competition in the Greater Toronto Area. To strengthen its position, Gray Coach bid to acquire inter-urban operator Trentway-Wagar. However, facing budgetary pressure, the TTC decided to focus on its core urban transit service. In October 1990 the TTC sold Gray Coach Lines to
Stagecoach who then sold it to
Greyhound Canada
Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC began as a local British Columbia bus line in the early 1920s, expanded across most of Canada, and became a subsidiary of the US Greyhound in 1940.
In 2018, Greyhound pulled out of Western Canada, preserving ...
and
Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services
Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services is an intercity bus service operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency of the government of Ontario, Canada. Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services operates passenger and pa ...
in 1992. Gray Coach's
Gray Line franchised sightseeing operations were taken over by Greyhound Canada.
Livery
Livery of early buses were gray with the red crest with the words ''Gray Coach Lines''. The crest disappeared and replaced with the full wording with blue strip. The final buses had a white base with black letters ''GC''. A red stripe was added along the belt line on sightseeing, Airport Express, and Hostess Express premium-service buses.
Stops
Gray Coach had terminals and agencies at various locations across Toronto:
City routes
![Gray Coach Lines bus ticket 785972](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Gray_Coach_Lines_bus_ticket_785972.jpg)
Gray Coach once operated a number of suburban and extra-fare express routes in Toronto.
Beach Coach
Operated from 1947 to 1952 between downtown and the Beaches via Eastern Avenue and Queen Street East.
Hill Coach
The first city coach route started running in 1925, between Forest Hill and downtown via Forest Hill Road, Poplar Plains Road, Dupont Street, St George Street, University Avenue, Osgoode and Albert Streets. In 1931 it was extended north to Glenview Avenue (later Otter Loop). Service was withdrawn in September 1954 due to opening of the new
Yonge subway Yonge is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Charles Duke Yonge (1812–1891), English historian and translator of Philo of Alexandria
* Charles Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), British marine biologist
* Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823†...
.
Islington
In April 1929 Gray Coach Lines acquired Maple Leaf Coach Lines. MCL's I
SLINGTON route (via Dundas Street from Runnymede Road to Bloor Street in the town of Islington—now Six Points) was combined with the L
AMBTON route and transferred to the
TTC. It was transferred to Gray Coach ''circa'' 1930. As of January 1, 1954 it was included in the new
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...
operation, and Gray Coaches were replaced by "red" city buses.
Kingsway Coach
Inaugurated in November 1945 between Bloor Street & Royal York Road and downtown via (South) Kingsway, Lake Shore Drive, Dowling Avenue and King Street, with an early and late extension to Burnhamthorpe & Holloway Roads via Bloor, Islington and Canning. Withdrawn in April 1946 after only five months of (presumably unsuccessful) operation.
Lambton
From Keele Street to Humber (Lambton Hotel) along Dundas Street. Operated initially by the
TTC for
York Township, it was transferred to Gray Coach ''circa'' 1930. As of January 1, 1954 it was included in the new
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...
operation, and Gray Coaches were replaced by "red" city buses.
Leaside
From May 1, 1953 to January 1, 1954 the L
EASIDE bus was operated by Gray Coach Lines.
Rosedale Coach
The R
OSEDALE coach ran for just under two years (November 1928 to September 1930) between Summerhill & MacLennan Avenues and downtown via Glen Road, Sherbourne Street, Isabella Street, Jarvis Street and Shuter Street to Yonge Street.
Woodbridge93 Woodbridge Route History
/ref>
Gray Coach acquired the W
OODBRIDGE route when the
TTC bought out Roseland Bus Lines. From Lawrence and Weston via Weston Road, Albion Road, Thistletown, Woodbridge Road, Highway 7, 8th Avenue and Pine Street (Woodbridge Avenue) to Pine Grove Road, Woodbridge, with Sunday trips operating through the
Thistletown
Thistletown is a culturally diverse neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of the area surrounding the intersection of Albion Road and Islington Avenue in the former City of Etobicoke. (Etobicoke merged with five other munici ...
Hospital (For Disturbed Children) grounds. The route was transferred to the TTC in December 1955 as Islington Bus (as 44 Islington 1956 to 1963 and now as 37 Islington).
Other Interurban Operators
A list of independent operators acquired by Gray Coach:
* Danforth Bus Lines -
East York
East York is a former administrative district and municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a semi-autonomous borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toron ...
* Hollinger Bus Lines - East York
* Roseland Bus Lines -
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
, Ontario
* West York Coach Lines -
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, Ontario
* Maple Leaf Coach Lines -
Islington, Ontario
Islington-City Centre West (also known as Islington Village, Six Points or Etobicoke City Centre) is a commercial and residential neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. One of four central business districts outside Downtown Toronto, it is bou ...
See also
*
Toronto Transportation Commission
Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.
H ...
*
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and larges ...
*
Greyhound Canada
Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC began as a local British Columbia bus line in the early 1920s, expanded across most of Canada, and became a subsidiary of the US Greyhound in 1940.
In 2018, Greyhound pulled out of Western Canada, preserving ...
- took over Gray Coach routes
*
GO Transit bus services
GO Transit bus services are provided throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. In , the system had a ridership of .
While GO Transit started as a single train line in 1967, 15 buses were introdu ...
- public interurban bus service in and around the Greater Toronto Area - includes several former Gray Coach routes
*
Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services
Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services is an intercity bus service operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency of the government of Ontario, Canada. Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services operates passenger and pa ...
- public interurban service in northern Ontario and between northern Ontario and Toronto and Ottawa
*
Toronto Airport Express - which succeeded Gray Coach's Airport Express
*
Gray Line Worldwide
Gray Line Worldwide is an international sightseeing company which claims to be the largest of its kind in the world. The company was founded in 1910 and operates worldwide through independent operators it calls "licensees" with a presence in most o ...
-unrelated US Tour operator
References
External links
Gray Coach Lines roster- all-time fleet list
{{StagecoachGroup
Bus transport in Ontario
Companies based in Toronto
Defunct transport companies of Canada
Gray Line Worldwide
Defunct intercity bus companies of Canada
Stagecoach Group
Toronto Transit Commission
Transport companies established in 1927
Transport companies disestablished in 1992
1927 establishments in Ontario
1992 disestablishments in Ontario