Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services

Public transportation authority for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

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Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services

Buses at the Dennis Street Terminal

Founded| 1888 (as Sault Sainte Marie Electric Light and Transit Company)
1903 (as International Transit Company)
1942 (as Algoma Steel Corporation Transit)
1964 (as Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services)
Headquarters| 111 Huron Street 46°31′04″N 84°20′57″W﻿ / ﻿46.51778°N 84.34917°W﻿ / 46.51778; -84.34917
Locale| Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Service type| Bus service, Paratransit
Routes| 7 Major Bus Routes
2 Community Bus Routes
Stations| Downtown terminal
160 Queen Street East 46°30′56″N 84°20′16″W﻿ / ﻿46.51556°N 84.33778°W﻿ / 46.51556; -84.33778
Fleet| 27 Accessible
2 Minibus
11 Para-bus
Website| Transit Services

Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services is a local public transportation service serving the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario providing seven major bus routes and two community bus routes serviced by a fleet of 27 buses and 2 minibuses. The Parabus service consists of 11 vehicles.

Old logo from 1990's to 2019 New logo since July 15, 2019

## History

[edit]

### Early years

[edit]

Sault Ste. Marie transit services since 1888:[1]

* 1888–1903: Sault Sainte Marie Electric Light and Transit Company
* 1903–1942: International Transit Company (the last day of streetcar service was 31 October 1942)
* 1942–1964: Algoma Steel Corporation Transit
* 1964 to present: Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services operated by the City of Sault Ste. Marie

### Recent history

[edit]

In 2020, the City of Sault Ste. Marie announced that it was planning to relocate the main municipal bus terminal from Dennis Street to Huron Street where the current bus maintenance facility is.[2]

## Routes

[edit]

### Current

[edit]

All routes start and end at the Downtown Transit Terminal located at Queen Street and Dennis Street.

| Route Number  | Route Name  | Terminus

|
|
|

| 1 | Eastside | Dacey Road and Trunk Road
| 2 | Great Northern | Grand Gardens North (Great Northern Road and Fourth Line East) via Northern Transfer Hub and Sault Area Hospital
| 3 | Korah Road | Fourth Line East and People's Road (Transfer to Northern On-Demand)
| 4 | Sault College | Algoma University via Northern Transfer Hub
| 5 | Riverside/McNabb | Sault Area Hospital via Northern Transfer Hub
| 6A | North Street | Northern Transfer Hub
| 6B | North Street (evenings and weekends only)  | Pawating Place via Northern Transfer Hub
| 7 | Steelton/Second Line | Sault Area Hospital via Northern Transfer Hub
| Special | Pointe des Chenes (summer weekends and holidays)  | Express to Pointe des Chenes Beach via Northern Transfer Hub
Community Buses |
| Central | Central Community Bus (weekdays)  | Finnish Resthome
| Northern | On Demand Service | McQueen Neighbourhood

#### Frequencies

[edit]

All regular routes operate every 30 minutes during weekdays until 7 pm. Regular routes operate every hour weekdays after 7 pm and on weekends.[3]

The Central Community Bus operates every hour, Monday-Friday from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm.[4]

The Pointe des Chenes bus operates as a pilot during the summer of 2021 on weekends and holidays from June 26, 2021 until September 5, 2021 (except Canada Day). It operates 3 trips, one in the morning, afternoon, and early evening.[3]

##### On-Demand Sunday Evening Service

[edit]

Starting on 8 September 2019, Sunday evening service (7 pm to 11:30 pm) was switched to be on-demand. This was due to the low demand during this time. Sunday evening service was previously cut, to the disappointment of riders. Riders book a ride through the Sault Ste. Marie On-Demand app developed by Via or by calling transit dispatch. Riders are between existing stops, not curbside.[5]

## Terminals

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### Downtown Terminal (Queen and Dennis Terminal)

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All routes start and end at the Downtown Terminal. This terminal offers an indoor waiting area, washrooms, shop, and driver facilities. The terminal has 6 bays. The terminal is in poor condition and is due to be replaced. There are also ongoing safety concerns, with the terminal staffed by a security guard. The terminal is also not accessible to passengers with disabilities.[6]

### Northern Transfer Hub

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The Northern Transfer Hub opened on 3 May 2021. The Hub features a heated waiting shelter and 4 bus bays. The Hub is located on the Sault College campus providing service to the growing student population and area residents. The Hub is served by routes 2, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7, Point des Chenes, and the Central Community Bus.[7]

## Incidents

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Date  | Number  | Route  | Description

|
|
|

17 January 2005

???

North Street

| Afternoon City Police attended at the intersection of Wilcox Street and Maple Street for an accident involving a city bus and a car. Stafie Ochman of 52 Kent Avenue was travelling southbound on Maple Street and stopped for the stop sign but then proceeded through. A city bus operated by Henry Tulonen of 8 Gordon Avenue was proceeding eastbound on Wilcox Avenue when the Ochman car drove in front of the bus. Mrs. Ochman has been charged under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario with one count of fail to yield to through traffic. Mrs. Ochman received non-life-threatening injuries but did not require medical treatment at the time of the incident. None of the persons on the bus were injured.[8]

6 December 2012

128

Riverside

| A bad situation happened in just about the best circumstances when a Sault Ste. Marie Transit driver passed out behind the wheel on Thursday. The female employee lost consciousness when she had a medical episode, police say. The eastbound Riverside bus she was driving, with eight passengers on board, left Queen Street East, jumped a curb, passed through driveways of two homes at civic addresses 2166 and 2172 and plowed over small trees before stopping in an empty field about 140 metres from the road. The 32-seat 1991 MVI Classic did not hit any oncoming, or parked, vehicles and missed a hydro pole and ditch about 10 feet away. “Nothing of any kind of consequence (was struck),” said Sgt. Ray Magnan, head of traffic services with Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was taken to Sault Area Hospital. “She’s fine,” said Magnan. The passengers, none of whom were hurt, were brought home by a transit parabus. The collision outcome was “best as could be hoped,” said transit manager Don Scott at the scene on Friday morning. “Situations like this are definitely unforeseen,” he said. “We’re just lucky that nobody was hurt this time around.” All transit drivers are required to have a physical every three years.[9]

13 June 2014

146

North Street

| Call it bad luck on Friday the 13th for a North Street bus Friday afternoon. Saultonline.com viewer, James Scott sent in these photos of a city dump truck and city bus not getting along at Trelawne Avenue and Wilson Street early Friday afternoon. The City Transit Bus suffered moderate to heavy damage including a cracked windshield . It is not known if there were any passengers on the bus. No injuries were reported.[10]

16 January 2015

129

Steelton

| Officers from Investigation Services are continuing to work on the fatality from earlier today on Douglas Street. Investigators are looking to speak to anyone who was on the city bus that was traveling along the Steelton route today (January 16, 2015) between 8:45 am and 9:30 am while it was on Douglas Street.[11]

4 January 2019

135

Great Northern

| One person received minor injuries when a Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services bus collided with another vehicle on Lukenda Drive at Sault Area Hospital on Friday morning. The personal automobile was towed, said Const. Sonny Spina of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. A Police investigation continues. The north-east crash was followed 20 minutes later by a two-vehicle collision at Wellington Street East and Upton Road. No one was hurt.[12]

21 January 2019

131

McNabb

| Shortly after 3 p.m. Sault Ste. Marie Police Service responded to a collision involving a Sault Transit bus and a pickup truck. Police say that both vehicles were heading east on Trunk Road when the pickup truck collided with the rear of the bus. No injuries were reported. Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is investigating.[13]

## Other services

[edit]

Sault Ste. Marie is also connected to its American neighbour by the International Bridge Bus, which crosses the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge. The state of Michigan and the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie provide the majority of the funding, along with Lake Superior State University and Sault College. In addition to serving both downtown areas, the buses serve LSSU on the Michigan side and the Station Mall on the Canadian side.

## Gallery

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* Streetcar on Queen Street in 1900s

* Streetcar on Queen Street in 1910s

* Buses garage in 1950s

* Bus (133) parking at Queen Terminal in 2010

## See also

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* Transport portal
* Ontario portal

* Public transport in Canada

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Wyatt, David A. (11 September 2017). "Canadian Transit Systems: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario". Retrieved 17 July 2020.
2. ^ Della-Mattia, Elaine (30 June 2020). "Sault Transit terminal to be relocated to Huron Street". The Sault Star. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
3. ^ a b "Bus Routes and Schedules - City of Sault Ste. Marie". saultstemarie.ca.
4. ^ "Community Bus - City of Sault Ste. Marie". saultstemarie.ca.
5. ^ "On Demand Transit begins September 8 - City of Sault Ste. Marie". saultstemarie.ca.
6. ^ "Downtown Bus Terminal Relocation - City of Sault Ste. Marie". saultstemarie.ca.
7. ^ "Transit Route Optimization – Northern transfer point completed - City of Sault Ste. Marie". saultstemarie.ca.
8. ^ "No injuries reported in Sault Transit bus crash". SooToday.com. January 18, 2005.
9. ^ "City bus crash could have been worse | Sault Star".
10. ^ "Sault Online Friday 13th crunch". Archived from the original on 2023-06-09.
11. ^ "Was City Bus Involved in Fatality?". Archived from the original on 2023-05-31.
12. ^ "City bus, Chevy collide at hospital | Sudbury Star".
13. ^ "Truck smacks city bus on Trunk Road (4 photos)". SooToday.com. January 21, 2019.

## External links

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* Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services

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Public transit systems in Canada

Alberta|

* Airdrie
* Banff/Canmore
* Calgary
* Edmonton
* Fort McMurray
* Fort Saskatchewan
* Grande Prairie
* Hinton
* Leduc
* Lethbridge
* Medicine Hat
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British Columbia|

* 100 Mile House
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* BC Bus North
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Manitoba|

* Brandon
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New Brunswick|

* Fredericton
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Newfoundland
and Labrador|

* Corner Brook
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Northwest Territories|

* Yellowknife

Nova Scotia|

* Annapolis Valley
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* Pictou County
* Strait of Canso Area

Ontario|

* Barrie
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* Cornwall
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* Ontario Northland (intercity)
* Orangeville
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* Port Hope
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* Sarnia
* Sault Ste. Marie
* Simcoe County
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* Sudbury
* Tecumseh
* Thunder Bay
* Tillsonburg
* Timmins
* Toronto
* Greater Toronto
* Wasaga Beach
* Waterloo Region
* Windsor
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Prince Edward Island|

* Charlottetown–Cornwall–Stratford

Quebec|

* Drummondville
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* Granby
* Lanaudière
* Laval
* Lévis
* Longueuil
* Montreal
* Greater Montreal
* Mont-Tremblant
* Quebec City
* Rimouski
* Rouyn–Noranda
* Saguenay
* Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
*   * Sherbrooke
* Trois-Rivières

Saskatchewan|

* Moose Jaw
* Prince Albert
* Regina
* STC (former intercity)
* Saskatoon
* Swift Current
* Yorkton

Yukon|

* Whitehorse

* v
* t
* e

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

History|

* Mica Bay Incident
* Robinson Huron Treaty
* Shingwauk Indian Residential School
* Chicora incident
* 1903 Consolidated Lake Superior riot
* Angelina Napolitano case
* R v Sault Ste-Marie (City of)
* English-only resolution

Geography|

* Neighbourhoods
* Root River
* St. Marys River
* Whitefish Island

Government|

* Sault Ste. Marie (federal riding)
* Sault Ste. Marie (provincial riding)
* Sault Ste. Marie City Council
* List of mayors

Industry|

* Algoma Steel
* Northern Breweries
* St. Mary's Paper
* Sault Ste. Marie Solar Park
* Tenaris AlgomaTubes

Institutions|

* 49th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA
* Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre
* Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association
* Engracia de Jesus Matias Archives and Special Collections
* Great Lakes Forestry Centre
* Ontario Forest Research Institute
* Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
* Sault Area Hospital
* Sault Symphony Orchestra
* Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre

Media|

* Algoma Ink
* CBON-FM
* CBSM-FM
* CFYM-AM
* CHAS-FM
* CHBX-TV
* CHIM-FM
* CJIC-AM
* CJIC-TV
* CJQM-FM
* CJTK-FM
* CKCY-AM
* Films
* Huron Broadcasting
* The Sault Star
* Sault This Week
* Village Media

Education|

| Post-secondary|

* Algoma University
* Sault College
* Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig

|

School boards|

* Algoma District School Board
* Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario
* Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board
* Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario

Secondary schools|

* Bawating C&VS
* Korah C&VS
* École Notre-Dame-du-Sault
* St. Basil Secondary
* St. Mary's College
* Sault Collegiate Institute
* Sir James Dunn C&VS
* Superior Heights C&VS
* White Pines C&VS

Attractions|

* Agawa Canyon Tour Train
* Art Gallery of Algoma
* Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre
* Entomica Insectarium
* Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site
* Gateway Casinos Sault Ste. Marie
* MS Norgoma
* Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site
* Sault Ste. Marie Museum
* Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame
* Shingwauk Hall National Historic Site
* Station Mall
* Voyageur Hiking Trail
* Waterfront Trail
* Whitefish Island National Historic Site
* Windsor Park Hotel

| Events|

* Algoma Fall Festival
* Bon Soo Winter Carnival
* International Bridge Walk
* Rotaryfest

|

Sports|

* GFL Memorial Gardens
* Gouin Street Arena
* Hosted events
* Sault Memorial Gardens
* Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
* Sault Ste. Marie Marlboros
* Sault Thunderbirds
* Soo Curlers Association
* Soo Thunderbirds

Religion|

* Anglican Diocese of Algoma
* Precious Blood Cathedral
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie
* St. Luke's Cathedral
* Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada

Transportation|

* Algoma Central Railway
* MV Algorail
* Gros Cap Reefs Light
* Huron Central Railway
* Ontario Highway 17
* Ontario Highway 17B
* Ontario Secondary Highway 550
* Sault Canal Emergency Swing Dam
* HMCS Sault Ste. Marie
* Sault Ste. Marie Airport
* Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Company
* Sault Ste. Marie Canal
* Sault Ste. Marie Heliport
* Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
* Sault Ste. Marie International Railroad Bridge
* Sault Ste. Marie/Partridge Point Water Aerodrome
* Sault Ste. Marie station
* Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services
* Sault Ste. Marie Water Aerodrome

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