Inter-region transit

[danbrotherston]

I wonder how hard it was to get to Cambridge before amalgamation of transit (i.e. formation of GRT). I imagine it's political as much as anything.

It was pesky government regulation. Intercity rights to bus service were held by Trentway-Wagar and forbid the cities from implementing their own cross border routes.

The 200 only went to Fairway at first; the 52 was the first route to properly connect the cities. Before the GRT amalgamation you'd have to take a Greyhound or something to connect across.

You're thinking of the 101 Express, which operated between Fairview Park and UW from 2003 to 2005 when the iXpress was implemented.

Prior to GRT, one had to take a Trentway-Wagar bus between the cities. Conestoga College students living in Cambridge had to make their way to the Ainslie St. Terminal, then take the Trentway-Wagar bus to the Charles St. Terminal and backtrack to the college on the 7 and 10.

For this reason, the 61 was also one of the first cross border routes, implemented alongside the 52 in September 2000.

The 61 in those days operated between Conestoga College and Preston or Sportsworld (depending on the time) via Highway 401. Trips that operated to Sportsworld were interlined with the 52 to and from Ainslie St. Terminal.

Was there no service to Conestoga College from Cambridge before.

I can only confirm that Kitchener transit had service to Conestoga College before GRT, I was presuming that Cambridge transit would have also had service there, it being a school in Cambridge.

There was certainly no service to the college from Cambridge. The 10 and 16 were the only services to the college prior to GRT.

It's pretty shocking that there was a major post secondary institution on the border of Cambridge with no bus service.