Once Upon A Time Niagara Had A Regional Transit System

By Bill Augustine

Good morning Mr Draper.  I just finished reading your column (on the launch of a new regional transit system)  and it brought back a lot of old memories about Niagara’s old trolley car system.

A trolley moving south through Welland, over the Weland River, to the city's trolley statino before moving on to Port Colborne.

Port Colborne also had a bus service during the Second World War. It went defunct because people were  not trained to use transportation in the city. It mainly serviced the plant workers. Another reason was that the two companies that ran it could not afford to keep it up and so it went the way of the Dodo bird.
There was also the Peninsula Coach Lines for Port Colborne,Welland and St Catharines. That was always full and sometimes it was so jam-packed with riders that some of the people could not access it. The bus company did not want to purchase or add on more buses as cars began to fill the vacancy in transporation.

Same with Canada Coach through Port Colborne ,Crystal Beach, Ridgeway ,Fort Erie and Buffalo… gone because of our love of cars.
Port Colborne, Welland, St Catharines etc.

If they had added and improved the trolly car system, maybe it would have survived longer. I personally attended a hearing in Welland to approve the abandoning of the trolly car system and I opposed it with a presentation. I was the only person there who opposed abandoning the system and non thinking person said to me; “Do you want go back to the horse and buggy”? I replied that if it would be good for tourism the Yes!

Meanwhile, a survey in Aberdeen Scotland resulted in additions to railway there.

 Bill Augustine is a resident of Port Colborne and a former Niagara regional councillor.

(Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post in the comment boxes below.)