Kitchener Public Utilities Commission


Kitchener Public Utilities Commission was a public utility and transit operator in the Kitchener-Waterloo area from 1927 to 1973.
Transit service began with horse cars in 1887 as a private company whose owner was from New York City with day-to-day operations via Thomas M. Burt.
The line was electrified for streetcars a few years later. The city did not renew the charter and the KPUC took over in 1927.
The KPUC operated streetcars until 1946, as bus and trolley bus operations took over.
The electric streetcars were scheduled to be retired on January 1, 1947. An ice storm on December 27, 1946 caused so much damage to the overhead that it was not repaired.
Cross-town gasoline buses started in the 1930s.
Trolley coach operation began on January 1, 1947, and ended by March 26, 1973.
Transit operations were passed on to the City of Kitchener in 1973 and was operated with all-new bus routes as Kitchener Transit. Utilities operations, for gas, water and sewer services within the City of Kitchener are now run by Kitchener Utilities, a subsidiary of the municipality.
In 2015, during the construction of the new Ion Light Rail system, remnants of the local streetcar system were unearthed.

Roster

Buses

Roster as of December 31, 1972. City of Kitchener took over January 1, 1973. Trolley buses replaced March 26, 1973. Kitchener Transit launched with all new routes on July 3, 1973.
All time streetcar fleet:
Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway Company
Preston & Berlin Street Railway
Bridgeport and Berlin Electric Street Railway
Kitchener & Waterloo Street Railway
Routes as of December 31, 1972: