List of trolley bus systems in Canada


This is a list of trolley bus systems in Canada by province. It includes all trolley bus systems, past and present. Use of boldface for a city name and color highlighting indicates a system that still operates, the only one being Vancouver.

Alberta

Name of system LocationDate Date Notes
Calgary Transit SystemCalgary1 June 19478 March 1975
Edmonton Transit SystemEdmonton24 September 19392 May 2009See also Trolley buses in Edmonton.

British Columbia

Name of system LocationDate Date Notes
TransLinkVancouver16 August 1948 Also a demonstration, 5–14 December 1945.
See also Trolley buses in Vancouver.

Note: There was also a demonstration trolley bus line in Victoria in 1945, operated by the British Columbia Electric Railway, from 19 to 30 November 1945.

Manitoba

Name of system LocationDate Date Notes
Metro TransitWinnipeg21 November 193830 October 1970

Nova Scotia

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Nova Scotia Light and
Power Company, Limited
Halifax27 March 194931 December 1969

Ontario

Name of systemLocationDate Date Notes
Cornwall Street Railway, Light and Power Company, LimitedCornwall8 June 194931 May 1970
Fort William Transit CompanyFort William15 December 19471970see Thunder Bay.
Hamilton Street RailwayHamilton10 December 195030 December 1992See Trolley buses in Hamilton.
Kitchener Public Utilities CommissionKitchener1 January 194726 March 1973
Ottawa Transportation CommissionOttawa15 December 195127 June 1959
Port Arthur TransitPort Arthur15 December 19471970See Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay TransitThunder Bay15 December 194716 July 1972Fort William and Port Arthur merged to form Thunder Bay from 31 December 1969.
Toronto Transit Commission bus system
Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto18 June 1922
19 June 1947
31 August 1925
16 July 1993
Service suspended 19 Jan. to 4 Sep. 1992.
Final closure on 16 July 1993. See Trolley buses in Toronto.
Sandwich, Windsor & Amherstburg Railway CompanyWindsor5 May 1922November 1926

Quebec

Name of systemLocationDate Date Notes
Montreal Tramways CompanyMontreal29 March 193718 June 1966Montreal Tramways Company succeeded by the Montreal Transit Commission, 1951

Saskatchewan

Name of systemLocationDate Date Notes
Regina Municipal Railway
Regina Transit System
Regina4 September 194728 February 1966
Saskatoon Transit SystemSaskatoon22 November 194813 May 1974

Books and periodicals

  • Murray, Alan. 2000. World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks.
  • Porter, Harry; and Stanley F.X. Worris. 1979. Trolleybus Bulletin No. 109: Databook II. North American Trackless Trolley Association.
  • Sebree, Mac; and Paul Ward. 1974. The Trolley Coach in North America. Los Angeles, US: Interurbans. LCCN 74-20367.Trolleybus Magazine. National Trolleybus Association. Bimonthly.