Williams Omnibus Bus Line
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Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with four six-passenger buses. Established in 1849 by local cabinetmaker Burt Williams, it consisted of horse-drawn stagecoaches operating from the St. Lawrence Market to the Red Lion Hotel in Yorkville. The bus line was a great success, and four larger vehicles were added in 1850. After a few years, even more buses were in use, and were operating every few minutes.
In 1861, the city gave a 30-year franchise for to Toronto Street Railways
Toronto Street Railways
After the Williams Omnibus Bus Line had become heavily loaded in 1861, the city of Toronto issued a transit franchise for a horse-drawn street railway. The winner was Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway which opened the first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating...
who built a horse car line, and the gauge of the buses was modified so as to fit between the tracks. The bus system lasted only until 1862, when it was bought out by the TSR. The omnibuses were manufactured by Williams' own cabinet-making store on Yonge Street, H. Burt Williams.
Prior to Williams' operations, there were a variety of stagecoach operators in the city:
- Marlborough Stage
- Rossin House Hotel - King and Wellington Streets
- Charles ThompsonCharles ThompsonCharles Thompson is the name of:* Sir Charles Thompson, 1st Baronet , British admiral* Charles Thompson , Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation* Charles Thompson , former quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners...
- Yonge StreetYonge StreetYonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
at Elgin Mills Hotel in Richmond Hill, OntarioRichmond Hill, OntarioRichmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
to St. Lawrence MarketSt. Lawrence MarketSt. Lawrence Market is one of two major markets in Toronto, the other being Kensington Market.It features two buildings, both on the west side of Front St. East and Jarvis St. Each building holds different purposes:... - Barnabas Vanderburgh's Hotel in Richmond Hill, OntarioRichmond Hill, OntarioRichmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
- Eastern Mail Stage
- Rouge - Scarborough, OntarioScarborough, OntarioScarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
- Markham Village - Markham Village
- Western Mail Stage - Lambton HouseLambton HouseLambton House is a historic former inn in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the last remaining building from the former village of Lambton Mills along the Humber River in the 19th century.-History:...
to DundasHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe... - Streetsville - now part of Mississauga
- Holland Landing - from YorkYork, Upper CanadaYork was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
to Holland Landing - Pine Grove to Weston, Ontario
- Canadian Transfer Company
- Samuel D. Purdy 1816 - founder of first stagecoach line in Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
from York to Newark (Niagara-on-the-LakeNiagara-on-the-LakeNiagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
) - William WellerWilliam WellerWilliam Weller was an entrepreneur and official in Upper Canada and Canada West. He served three terms as mayor of Cobourg....
1832 - from Coffin Block to Kingston, OntarioKingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
and also operated services in Cobourg, OntarioCobourg, OntarioCobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
, Port Hope, OntarioPort Hope, OntarioPort Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County...
, Peterborough, OntarioPeterborough, OntarioPeterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, KingstonKingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
-PrescottPrescott, OntarioPrescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
; Weller was mayor of Cobourg, OntarioCobourg, OntarioCobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2... - John PlayterPlayter EstatesPlayter Estates is an area in the east end of Toronto, Canada bounded by Jackman Avenue to the east, the Don River Valley to the west, Danforth Avenue in the south, and Fulton Avenue in the north. The neighbourhood is built on land once owned by the Playter family for whom two streets in the area...
1828-1832 from York to Newmarket, OntarioNewmarket, OntarioNewmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
Fleet
| Builder | Description | Fleet size | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
| H. Burt Williams cabinet store, Toronto | small omnibus (6 passenger stage coach) | 4 | 1849 | 1862 | horse drawn stagecoach |
| H. Burt Williams cabinet store, Toronto | large omnibus | 4 | 1850 | 1862 | horse drawn stagecoach |
See also
The companies and agencies that succeeded Williams:- Toronto Transportation CommissionToronto Transportation CommissionBefore 1954, the Toronto Transit Commission was called the Toronto Transportation Commission.-History:Toronto's first public transportation company was the Williams Omnibus Bus Line and owned by undertaker Burt Williams. The franchise carried passengers in horse-drawn stagecoaches along Yonge...
- Toronto Transit CommissionToronto Transit Commission-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
- Toronto Street RailwaysToronto Street RailwaysAfter the Williams Omnibus Bus Line had become heavily loaded in 1861, the city of Toronto issued a transit franchise for a horse-drawn street railway. The winner was Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway which opened the first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating...
- Toronto Railway CompanyToronto Railway CompanyThe Toronto Railway Company was the first operator of horseless streetcars in Toronto.Formed by a partnership between James Ross and William Mackenzie, a 30-year franchise was granted in 1891 to modernize transit operations after a previous 30 year franchise that saw horse car service from the...
- Toronto Civic RailwaysToronto Civic RailwaysToronto Civic Railways was an agency created and owned by the City of Toronto, Canada, to run streetcars in newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve...