Thunder Bay Transit is the

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

operator in

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

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 Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was formed in 1970, after the

amalgamation Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan am ...

of the cities of Port Arthur and Fort William and their respective transit agencies.Wyatt, David A. (2005)
Transit History of Thunder Bay, Ontario
Retrieved on March 8, 2007. Thunder Bay Transit is a member of the

Canadian Urban Transit Association The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) is a national association for urban mobility and both the public and private transit industries in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories exten ...

. Thunder Bay Transit operates 17 transit routes in the

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

of Thunder Bay and neighbouring

Fort William First Nation Fort William First Nation ( oj, Animkii Wajiw) is an Ojibwa First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada. The administrative headquarters for this band government is south of Thunder Bay. , the First Nation had a registered population of 1,798 people ...

, an area of .
Mid-sized City Transit in Canada
', Field visits: Case study transit systems - Key facts. Retrieved on October 30, 2007. Its fleet of 49 buses run on

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

and

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...

fuels. Thunder Bay Transit carries 3,300,000 passengers annually, or approximately 9,000 passengers daily, and employs 140 people.Transit celebrates anniversary and accessibility milestones
, City of Thunder Bay, 28 February 2007. Retrieved on June 17, 2007. The company maintains two transit terminals, one at 40 North Water Street in Port Arthur, and the other at

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

at 500 Donald Street East in Fort William. Thunder Bay Transit is the first transit agency in Ontario to be 100%

handicapped accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

, and the first Canadian transit agency to use the

NextBus NextBus is a public transit vehicle tracking system which uses global positioning satellite information to predict when the next vehicle will arrive at any given transit stop, which attempts to reduce wait times and reliance on schedules. NextBus ...

system with passenger counters, fare box integrations and passenger information systems.Another First for Thunder Bay Transit
, Netnewsledger, September 13, 2007. Retrieved on September 13, 2007.

History

Public transit in Thunder Bay was first established in 1892. The silver boom had recently ended, destroying Port Arthur's primary economic raison d'être. Compounding the matter was the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

's decision to build its

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

s and

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...

s in neighbouring Fort William, 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.Thunder Bay Museum
- Electric Street Railway, 1892. Retrieved on October 30, 2007. In 1891, the town of Port Arthur was authorized to construct and operate the first municipally owned

street railway A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

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. Although Fort William wanted nothing to do with Port Arthur's municipal railway, PASRy gained control of the McDonald and Company line on June 1, 1893, and extended its operations into the town.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. 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 March 11, 1908, and to submit to operation by a joint commission until December 1, 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''. Port Arthur added two belt lines to its main line in 1913, with the first

street cars A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

running on the North Belt Line October 29, 1913. The Port Arthur Public Utilities Commission which ran the street railway acquired its first 36-passenger bus (painted maroon and cream) in August 1946 manufactured at the

Canadian Car and Foundry Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F), also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry" or more familiarly as "Can Car", was a manufacturer of buses, railway rolling stock, forestry equipment, and later aircraft for the Canadian market. CC&F history g ...

plant in Fort William. It immediately phased out the Arthur Street railway line, and renamed its system as ''Port Arthur Transit.''.Port Arthur News-Chronicle 1 & 13 Aug 1946. Gasoline-powered buses were introduced in December 1946 to serve the intercity route. Electric trolley buses were introduced on December 15, 1947,Trolleybuses.net
- Port Arthur and Fort William. Retrieved on October 30, 2007. 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 The J.G. Brill Company manufactured streetcars,Young, Andrew D. (1997). ''Veteran & Vintage Transit'', p. 101. St. Louis: Archway Publishing. interurban coaches, motor buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the United States for almos ...

at the

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. Street railway operations ended in Thunder Bay in 1948. Port Arthur's last three antiquated cars made their final run over the North Belt Line on February 16, 1948 in a driving snowstorm, and Fort William's street cars ceased operations on October 16, 1948. Since January 1, 1970, when Port Arthur and Fort William were amalgamated into the City of Thunder Bay, the system has been known as Thunder Bay Transit. Electric trolley buses were discontinued on September 10, 1972, and the city has since used diesel buses. Thunder Bay Transit purchased its first

low floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

buses in 1994,Thunder Bay Transit bus roster
2001. The

New Flyer Industries New Flyer is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing facilities in Cana ...

D40LF was the first low floor bus model purchased by Thunder Bay Transit, in 1994. Retrieved October 30, 2007. and by March 2007 became the first full-sized transit agency in Ontario to have a fleet that consisted entirely of accessible buses. Later that year, Thunder Bay Transit became the second Canadian transit agency to implement Grey Island Systems

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

/ AVL and

system with passenger counters, fare box integrations and passenger information systems.NextBus Gives Transit Arrival Times to the Minute
yourCity, June–July 2008 edition. Retrieved on June 29, 2007.

Fares and passes

Thunder Bay Transit fares were last increased on July 20, 2020. Exact cash

fare A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used. Fare structure is the system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various pa ...

on Thunder Bay Transit is $3.00, support persons ride free, as do children under the age of five when accompanied by an adult. Bus tickets can be purchased in groups of 10 for $25.00, and twenty ride punch passes can be purchased for $44.00. 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 $77.50, and discount monthly passes can be purchased for $66.00 by high school students under 18. Monthly passes for children between 6 and 12, seniors over 65 and persons with valid disabled ID cards cost $55.00. Annual senior pass cost is $495.00. Family/Group passes can be purchased for $11.00, allow for unlimited trips for two adults and three children, one adult and four children, or two adults.

Proof of age An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID card, citizen ca ...

is required, and children must be under the age of 18. Students at

Lakehead University Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate programs, grad ...

and

Confederation College Confederation College is a provincially funded college of applied arts and technology in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1967, and has campuses in Dryden, Fort Frances, Greenstone, Kenora, Marathon, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake a ...

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.Lakehead University Student Union - U-Pass
Retrieved on October 22, 2007.Confederation College U-Pass
Retrieved on June 17, 2007.

Routes

Thunder Bay Transit operates 17 regular transit routes covering approximately 350

kilometres The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ex ...

(220

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

s) of city streets.Thunder Bay Transit - Main Page
Retrieved on June 17, 2007. Most bus routes are anchored on one of the city's two main terminals, and several routes have buses travelling in only one direction, which can result in unnecessarily long trips between short distances.Lee, Damien.
Letter to Thunder Bay Transit (Frederica St Arthur St connection)
,

Indymedia The Independent Media Center, better known as Indymedia, is an open publishing network of activist journalist collectives that report on political and social issues. Following beginnings during the 1999 Carnival Against Capital and 1999 Seatt ...

Thunder Bay, October 2, 2006. Retrieved on July 3, 2007. Thunder Bay Transit operates two extra routes during rush hour, serving

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

and Dennis Franklin Cromarty high schools in the Northwood area, and employees of the Bombardier and Abitibi-Bowater plants in the city's southwest end.

Bus frequency

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 peak routes have a frequency of 30 minutes between stops. Some busy routes have a frequency of 15 minutes during

rushhour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...

. 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.Thunder Bay Transit - Bus schedule and route maps
Retrieved on June 17, 2007.

Rural bus service

Thunder Bay Transit resumed service to

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

areas within

city limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...

in spring 2008 as part of a pilot project funded by the city's share of provincial gas tax revenue. Ridership on both routes was well below the municipal guideline of 10 passengers per hour of service.City recommends scrapping McIntyre, South Neebing bus routes
, TBSource, November 3, 2008. Retrieved on November 4, 2008 Service resumed in South Neebing on March 18, after being cancelled in 2004 due to low ridership.Slow start for ridership on South Neebing bus route
, TBSource, March 18, 2008. Retrieved on March 18, 2008. The route operated on Tuesday and Thursday, with two runs in the morning and two runs in the afternoon.Council revives transit service to South Neebing
, TBSource, March 11, 2008. Retrieved on March 12, 2008. The route averaged 1 passenger per hour of service, and cost $73 per passenger to operate. The trial cost $19,200, and brought in only $400 in revenue, resulting in a net cost of $18,800. Service to South Neebing ended on November 27. Service resumed in McIntyre on June 4, after a telephone survey conducted by the city found some demand for transit service in the area, which had bus service in the 1980s and 1990s. The route operated on Wednesday and Saturday, with two runs in the morning and two in the afternoon.McIntyre area gets trial transit bus service
, TBSource, May 13, 2008. Retrieved on May 13, 2008. The route averaged 0.5 passengers per hour of service, and cost $148 per passenger to operate. The trial cost $15,600, and brought in only $200 in revenue, resulting in a net cost of $15,400. Service to McIntyre ended on November 29.

Interlining

When buses on certain routes arrive at a transit terminal, they will resume travel on different routes. Interlining allows passengers to travel longer distances without having to change buses. Route 1 Mainline does not interline.Thunder Bay Transi
Route Map
ap 2006. Retrieved on June 17, 2007. ; Interlining at City Hall terminal : Peak routes
2 Crosstown and 12 East End at :15 and :45
3 Airport and 3 Jumbo Gardens at :15 and :45
3 Northwood and 3 County Park at :00 and :30
Non-peak routes
3 Airport and 8 James
3 Northwood and 3 County Park ; Interlining at Water Street terminal : Peak routes
2 Crosstown and 7 Hudson at :00 and :30
3 County Park and 3 Northwood at :15 and :45
3 Jumbo Gardens and 3 Airport at :00 and :30
9 Junot and 11 John at :00 and :30
Non-peak routes
2 Crosstown and 7 Hudson
9 Junot - University and 11 John - Jumbo Gardens ; 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

Fleet

Thunder Bay Transit owns a fleet of 49 buses, which consists of 30

Nova Bus Nova Bus (stylized as NOVABUS) is a Canadian bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was est ...

LFSs, 8

Orion Bus Industries Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The company had its main manufacturing plant in Mississauga and sent bus body shells to t ...

Orion VIs, 7

New Flyer New Flyer is a Canadian multinational Bus manufacturing, bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing ...

D40LFs, and 4 Orion Bus Industries Orion VIIs. Three of the buses run on

, and all are handicapped accessible low floor models.Thunder Bay Transit - Accessibility
Retrieved on June 17, 2007. Thunder Bay Transit is the first full-sized transit system in Ontario to have a fleet entirely of low floor buses. Interior Of Thunder Bay Transit bus 218

Technology

Since September 2007, Thunder Bay Transit buses have been using the Grey Island Systems GPS/AVL and

real-time passenger information systems, which uses

sensors and electronic maps to track bus movement and devices to measure passenger numbers.High tech system for city buses
, TBSource, September 13, 2007. Retrieved on September 13, 2007. The system uses

TBayTel Tbaytel, formerly the Thunder Bay Telephone Company, is a municipally-owned telecommunications company operating in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding area. Tbaytel's services include data, voice, wireless, internet, digital TV and ...

CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communication ...

wireless network to relay information to the transit office and to electronic signs located at major transit stops to let riders know when their bus will arrive.Transit keeps track of buses
,

The Chronicle-Journal ''The Chronicle-Journal'' is the daily newspaper in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Unlike many List of newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspapers, it does not use the city's name in its masthead. The paper has an average weekday circulation of 17,20 ...

, September 14, 2007. Retrieved on September 14, 2007. These electronic signs are located at the

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is an acute care facility serving Thunder Bay and much of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The hospital has 395 acute care beds. All of its patient rooms are handicapped accessible and the facility is air-c ...

Intercity Shopping Centre Intercity Shopping Centre is a shopping mall in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was one of the first shopping malls in Thunder Bay and is the largest of its kind in Northwestern Ontario, with of retail space.

, and Thunder Bay Transit's two downtown transit terminals, with a seventh sign planned for the Westfort neighbourhood in the city's south end. A test of the system was released on March 17, 2008 and allowed passengers to view arrival times for routes 2 Crosstown, 3 Northwood, 8 James and 9 Junot.New transit arrival boards will keep riders informed
, TBSource, April 21, 2008. Retrieved on April 21, 2008.

Accessibility

To accommodate

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

passengers, Thunder Bay Transit buses are

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

accessible

low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

models. 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." 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.The City of Thunder Bay
Fourth Annual Accessibility Plan
(2005–2006) pp. 65. Retrieved on June 17, 2007.

Facilities

Thunder Bay Transit operates two bus terminals in the north and south cores of the city. Thunder Bay Transit's head office and bus garage is located at Thunder Bay Transit and Central Maintenance, located at 570 Fort William Road. 113 (1 Mainline-Westfort)

City Hall Terminal

:Address: 500 Donald Street East, Fort William :Functions: downtown south core bus terminal; heated waiting area (City Hall lobby). :Platforms: street level on Brodie Street, Donald Street and May Street around the plaza in front of city hall. :Routes: 1 Mainline, 3 Memorial, 4 Neebing, 8 James, 12 East End, 15 Extra, 17 Extra, 18 Chippewa

Water Street Terminal

:Address: 40 North Water Street, Port Arthur :Coordinates: :Functions: downtown north core bus terminal; heated waiting area :Platforms: 1 :Routes: 1 Mainline, 2 Crosstown, 3 Memorial, 7 Hudson, 9 Junot, 11 John, 17 Extra

Transit Garage

:Thunder Bay Transit and Central Maintenance :Address: 570 Fort William Road :Coordinates: :Functions: main office and vehicle maintenance

Greyhound Bus Depot

:Address: 815 Fort William Road :Coordinates: :Functions: privately owned bus depot providing intercity

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 resurge ...

bus and courier service.Greyhound.ca - Thunder Bay bus depot information
/ref> :Routes: accessible by route 1 Mainline Greyhound Bus Service has been discontinued effective October 31, 2018

Other transfer points

Other terminals, serving two or more routes, are located at

and

. The intersection of Brown Street and Frederica Street in Westfort is a transfer point for routes 1 Mainline, 5 Edward Westfort, 4 Neebing, and 6 Mission.Thunder Bay Transi
Route Map
ap 2006. Retrieved on June 17, 2007.

References

External links

Thunder Bay Transit
Official web site
Nextbus Stop Selector
for Thunder Bay Transit

* ttp://www.busdrawings.com/Transit/ontario/thunderbay/index.htm Drawings and photos of Thunder Bay Transit buses
HAGI - Accessible Transit Service
{{Public transit systems in Canada Transit agencies in Ontario Transport in Thunder Bay