Aurora Transit operated

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 ...

within the town of

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

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, from 1973 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001 transit service in Aurora was operated by Newmarket Transit. Service in the town is now provided by the current

York Region Transit York Region Transit (YRT) is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road. YRT operates 65 full-time, rush hour and limited routes, 35 school services, and six Viva bus ...

system.

History

Aurora's public transit system began operations in 1973. Like Newmarket, Aurora was much smaller in size and population than other southern

York Region The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...

municipalities, which benefited from connections to

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 ...

and the

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 largest ...

. Aurora Transit provided feeder service to

commuter trains and buses as well as community bus service to town's major destinations. A fare arrangement between Aurora Transit and

allowed passengers to use Aurora Transit tickets on

'route B' buses that provided local service on Yonge Street, provided the entire trip was within Aurora city limits (

zone 63). Passengers travelling to the neighboring Oak Ridges or Newmarket or (Zones 62 or 64) could still use Aurora Transit tickets with a cash supplement. On August 30, 1998 Aurora Transit restructured its services into a single route with service in the southern part of the town provided by

Richmond Hill Transit Richmond Hill Transit was created in 1960 to provide public transit service in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. It was initially operated by Trailways of Canada Limited, then Travelways starting in 1976 and Laidlaw in the 1980s. Services merged w ...

. At the same time Newmarket Transit route 77/11 was extended south on Bayview Avenue to connect with Aurora Transit's only route at Bayview Shopping Centre. Aurora Transit ended its operations on September 4, 1999, when the transit service in the town was transferred to Newmarket Transit. The latter became part of the

on January 1, 2001 when the four regional transit systems were merged.

Route

* Regular Service Route – ran along various roads from and back to Aurora GO Station (Walton Drive, Batson Drive, Orchard Heights Boulevard, Crawford Rose Drive, Aurora Heights Drive, McLeod Drive, Wellington Street West, Murray Drive, Yonge Street, Dunning Avenue, Edward Street, Metcalfe Street, Berczy Street, Wellington Street East) * Dial-A-Bus Route

Terminals

Aurora GO Station Aurora GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located on Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service, and connects with ...

was the only dedicated transit facility used by Aurora Transit. The route stopped at two shopping malls: * Aurora Bayview Centre – Aurora Centre (Bayview Shopping Centre) on Bayview Avenue north of Wellington Street East * Aurora Shopping Centre – Yonge Street at Murray Drive

Fleet

Aurora's fleet was small due to the size and usage of public transit north of

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 ancho ...

, as well as the key

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...

corridor was part of the

''Yonge Street B'' routing. * 781 –

Ontario 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 ...

1978 Orion I 01.501 (Retired by 1998) * 891 –

1989 Orion I 01.502 (Operated by

as of mid-200

Retired. A school bus adjusted for mass transit (Laidlaw 90230) was used briefly in the spring of 1999.

External links

Aurora Transit

York Region Transit

{{s-end Transport in Aurora, Ontario Transit agencies in Ontario York Region Transit

History

Route

Terminals

Fleet

See also

External links