Whitehorse Transit
Whitehorse Transit is a city owned transit company serving Whitehorse, Yukon. It operates Monday to Saturday. There is no service on Sundays and holidays.
They also operate a door-to-door Handy Bus service for people with disabilities.
History
The transit system was founded in 1975 and went into service early in 1976 as the Women's Minibus Society but was taken over by the city by 1981. The system was originally established with five Fleury mini-buses, painted a lime green on white, the only colour that would show through snow, fog and rain.
By 1980, the system had retired some of the Fleury buses and replaced them with Superior school-bus type mini-buses, and in 1981, an Orion bus from Ontario Bus Industries was the first full-sized transit bus to operate in the city, arriving in time to be used for a world skiing championship. Two more Orions were purchased and the remaining Fleury buses were retired, with one now in the Yukon Transportation Museum. During a period of austerity, a GM Diesel bus was purchased from Hay River, and through the mid-1980s, more Orions were purchased from Calgary Transit, which was downsizing due to a recession. The remaining mini-buses were retired, and the fleet is now all full-sized buses, though some have called for the system to return to mini-buses.
During the mid-1980s, the colour scheme, which had changed from lime green to a more natural green, was changed to a red colour on the white.
Service was extended into the evenings starting September 2013. Previously service ended at 7pm, except Friday.
Facilities
The transit terminal was long based on Ogilvie Street between Third and Fourth Avenues, but from June 21, 1998 to January 3, 1999, the terminal was located on Range Road at the Takhini Arena; complaints by riders and Takhini subdivision residents led to city council ordering a return to Ogilvie Street.
Routes
Current
- Riverdale Loop
- 2 Copper Ridge - Granger
- 3 Riverdale North - McIntyre - Hillcrest
- 5 Takhini - Lobird - Copper Ridge
- 201 Porter Creek East
- 202 Porter Creek West
- 401 Whistle Bend East
- 402 Whistle Bend West
Former
- 1 Riverdale North - Porter Creek Express
- 4 Porter Creek - Crestview
- 6 Ingram - Granger - Porter Creek - Whistle Bend
- 7 Whistle Bend - Riverdale North (Saturday only)
Current Fleet Roster
Conventional
| Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36-37 | 2008 | Nova Bus | LFS | Cummins ISL | ZF | ||
| 2243 | 
|
2013 | Nova Bus | LFS | |||
| 44-45 | 2016 | Nova Bus | LFS | ||||
| 2246-2247 | 2017 | Nova Bus | LFS | ||||
| 2249-2250 | 2020 | Nova Bus | LFS | ||||
| 2252-2255 | 
|
2022 | Nova Bus | LFS |
Handy Bus Services
| Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 2020 | Chevrolet Arboc |
4500 SOM |
GM Vortec | |||
| 2251 | 
|
2022 | Chevrolet Arboc |
4500 SOM |
Retired Fleet Roster
Conventional
| Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1981 | OBI | Orion 01.504 | ||||
| 11 | 1982 | OBI | Orion 01.504 | ||||
| 14 | 1984 | OBI | Orion 01.507 | ||||
| 16-17 | 1980 | OBI | Orion 01.504 | Detroit Diesel 6V53 | Ex-Calgary Transit 302-303; purchased in May 1986. | ||
| 18-20 | 1982 | OBI | Orion 01.504 | Detroit Diesel 6V53 | Ex-Calgary Transit 247-249; purchased in September 1988. | ||
| 23 | 1992 | OBI | Orion 01.507 | ||||
| 24-27 | 1997 | Nova Bus | RTS-06 (T80-206) | ||||
| 29-30 | 2002 | Thomas | TL960 | ||||
| 32-35 | 2006 | Nova Bus | LFS | Cummins ISL | ZF | ||
| 38-41 | 2010 | Nova Bus | LFS | Cummins ISL | ZF |
Handy Bus Services
| Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 199x | Ford | E-450 | ||||
| 31 | 2007 | IC Bus | |||||
| 42 | 2010 | Chevrolet Arboc |
4500 SOM |
References
- Whitehorse Transit
- Wikipedia
- CTHF Bulletin - Vol. 16, No. 3 (November 2008)