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.
Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway Company • 8 open single truck horsecars 1888 • 8 closed single truck horsecars 1888 • 3 converted as electric cars 1895; used until 1896 • 2 open cars from
Canadian General Electric 1896; retired 1922 • 2 closed cars from Canadian General Electric 1896; retired 1932 • 1 single truck double end car - ex-horsecar sold by new electric railway operator
Buffalo Railway Company • 3 single truck open trailer cars • 2 double truck double end cars from
Ottawa Car Company 1901 and 1908 • 1 single truck double end car - ex-Buffalo car and later work car (scraper) • 1 single truck double end car from
J.G. Brill 1910 - converted as sweeper • 3 single end double truck cars - ex-
Montreal Park and Island Railway (built by
Montreal Street Railway) with 1 converted as flat car • 1 single truck double end closed trailer 1918 - ex-
Toronto Street Railway horsecar from J.M. Jones' Sons
Preston & Berlin Street Railway • 2 single end double truck cars from
Preston Car Company 1912; scrapped 1947 • 3 single end double truck cars from
G. C. Kuhlman Car Company 1919; scrapped 1941 and 1947 • 5
Peter Witt cars 1922 - ex-
Cleveland cars from
Cincinnati Car Company; scrapped 1947
Bridgeport and Berlin Electric Street Railway • 1 double truck double end car from
N & A.C. Lariviere 1902
Kitchener & Waterloo Street Railway • 2 single truck
Birney safety cars from
Ottawa Car Company 1923; scrapped 1947 • 1 single truck double end sweeper from J.G. Brill 1924 • 1 Birney car 1928 - ex-Peterborough Radial from Cincinnati Car 1920; sold 1946
Routes Bus routes Routes as of December 31, 1972: • Route 1 Queen South - Queen North & Frederick • Route 2 North Ward - Highland Road • Route 3 East & South Wards - Westmount • Route 4 Fairfield — Rosemount • Route 5 Waterloo Crosstown • Route 6 Bridgeport • Route 7 Mainline (Trolley Coach) • Route 8 Forest Hill • Route 9 Lakeshore • Route 10 Kingsdale • Route 11 Stanley Park • Route 12 Industrial Park • Route 13 University • Route 14 Columbia • Route 15 Amos Avenue • Route 16 Ottawa South
Streetcar routes • King Street from Cedar Street (Bridgeport Road) in Waterloo to Scott Street in Berlin (Kitchener) • Victoria Street from King Street to
Weber Street, Berlin
Facilities • Horsecar barn and stable at Cedar Street (now Bridgeport Road) and King Street - built 1888 for Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway Company • Car barn at King Street and Albert Street 1905 - built to replace original barn from 1888 • Car barns at Preston Junction (King Street East and Rogers Road now in Cambridge) and Albert Street in Berlin (now Kitchener) 1904 - for Preston & Berlin Street Railway • Car barn at Kitchener Junction 1923 - replaces Preston & Berlin Street Railway barns in Kitchener • Bridgeport car barn (eastside of Bridgeport Road and King Street) 1923 ==References==