Niagara Parks Commission People Mover
Founded | 1985 |
---|---|
Defunct | 2012 |
Locale | Niagara Falls, ON, Canada |
Service area | Niagara Parkway |
Service type | bus service |
Routes | 1 |
Operator | Niagara Parks Commission |
Website | Peoplemover-Buses |
The Niagara Parks Commission People Mover was a bus service in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The service links the various tourist sights and attractions along the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and the gorge downstream of it.
The People Mover buses replaced the Victoria Park Viewmobile, which had begun service in 1971 in an effort to ease traffic congestion in Queen Victoria Park. The Viewmobiles were two red towing trailers attached to a tractor truck, and served the boundaries of the park, as well as the adjacent Dufferin Islands. The Viewmobiles were retired from service when the new system launched in time for the 1985 tourist season. In 2012, The Niagara Parks Commission partnered with Niagara Falls Transit and the City of Niagara Falls, bringing new, fully accessible vehicles in service and a new identity as the WEGO transportation system.
The People Mover service was operated by the Niagara Parks Commission, and was unusual in that buses operated as two-unit buses, comprising a motor unit towing a separate trailer. It should not be confused with the city transit bus service, operated by Niagara Falls Transit, although that also had provided shuttle bus service to the falls area from various parts of the city.
Service
The 32 km (20 mi) system operated along the Niagara Parkway from Table Rock Point by the Horseshoe Falls, downstream to the Floral Clock in the north. The stops along the route served attractions including:[1]
- The Journey Behind the Falls
- The Maid of the Mist boat cruise
- The foot of the Clifton Hill tourist promenade
- The Whirlpool Aero Car
At Table Rock Point, the People Mover connected with a free shuttle bus to and from the Rapidsview parking lot, with its hotels and casinos.[1]
The service operated every 20 minutes from April to October each year. A single all-day ticket, issued as a sticker, allowed passengers to hop on and off the buses along the route. Fares for 2011 ended as follows:[1]
- Adult $8.85* Children 6-12 $5.35* Children under 5 FREE
Fleet
The service was operated by a fleet exclusively manufactured by Orion Bus Industries for the Parks Commission. The fleet consisted of twelve two-unit buses, each a motor unit towing a separate trailer. There was also a single motor unit with no trailer unit. The buses were powered by propane and were in service since the mid-1980s. The fleet comprised:[2][3]
- Orion Bus Industries IV 04.501 - motor unit
- Orion Bus Industries IV 04.502 - trailer, a bus without an engine semi-permanently attached to the motor unit.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "People Mover Buses". Niagara Parks Commission. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
- ↑ "Niagara Parks Commission". transithub.net. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
- ↑ "The Review - Remember the people mover?". Osprey Media. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
External links
- Page on the People Mover from the Niagara Parks Commission web site
- Unofficial web page about the Niagara Falls People Mover