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 HAMILTONHSR Historical Facts* HSR was incorporated in 1873 with Lyman Moore as president. * On June 4th, 1874, Horse-drawn street cars took to the streets. * October 1874 Sunday service started * In 1885, street cars were painted yellow, red and green to indicate their routes * In 1890, the HSR had 12 miles of line, 45 cars, 9 sleighs and 160 horses * On June 29th, 1892, Electric cars were introduced and they traveled at a speed of 15 miles per hour * In 1894, Uniforms were introduced * In 1899, HSR was bought by Hamilton Cataract Interests. * In 1913, The Belt Line was formed. * In 1926, The first bus ran on Cannon. * In 1928, Wentworth bus barn opened (now the site of Cathedral High School). * Ontario Hydro purchased the HSR from Dominion Power and Transmission Company (formerly Hamilton Cataract Interests) * In 1946, Canada Coach Lines (CCL) purchased HSR. * In 1951, Electric Trolley Buses were introduced in Hamilton and ran on the King - Barton route. * Also in 1951, the HSR retired all the street cars, a farewell ceremony was held on April 6th of that year * In 1960, the city assumed ownership of the HSR and CCL * In 1972, the HSR changed the bus colours to black and yellow * In 1977, the Regional Council approved a regional takeover of HSR & CCL * In 1982, The 60 ft (18 m) articulated buses were introduced into the HSR fleet. * In 1984, The Mountain Regional Transit Centre (MRTC) was opened. * HSR changed the fleet colours to the regional blue, white and yellow in 1985 * During the late 1980s the HSR converted 19 diesel buses to natural gas * In 1987, FARE FRED (Fare reading device) and BUS CHECK (automated telephone information service) were introduced. * In 1989, Easier Access buses with the kneeling feature were introduced. * In December 1989, The Wentworth Street Transit Centre (WSTC) was opened. * In 1991/92, 30 natural gas fuelled buses were purchased. * In 1995, HSR was selected as the first ever recipient of the Transportation Association of Canada's Environmental Achievement Award. Our compressed natural gas project received top marks * In 1995, over 400 employees were presented with safety, service, attendance and ambassador awards during TEAM week, April 23-29 * The HSR hosts an annual BUS ROADEO which is held at Mohawk College during the month of May. Each operator who qualifies must complete a written test, a road test and a defect test in accordance with CUTA (Canadian Urban Transit Association) regulation. The winner then goes on to represent the company at the National Championships held by CUTA during the month of June. * In 1995, the Ride guide was introduced in 10 foreign languages to help newcomers to the area understand how to use the HSR services correctly and comfortably * In 1996, 25 Accessible Low Floor (ALF) buses joined the fleet. * A Handy School Ride Guide and video for students was developed to provide safety tips, explain our system and address issues such as vandalism * August 1996 the HSR ticket office moved from 2 Catharine St. to the NEW HAMILTON GO CENTRE located at 36 Hunter Street East between James and John streets. |