CENTRE WELLINGTON – The Elora-Fergus-Guelph commuter bus took its final lap on July 4 as the service, run by Elliott Coach Lines, officially came to an end.
Operation manager Shirley Hastie said in an interview that the last real run for passengers was June 30. The gathering in Elora was an opportunity for drivers – current and past – along with long-term passengers to get together and say hello as they said goodbye to the bus.
“It’s a good service,” Hastie said, “but we can’t run it for two to five riders. And gas prices certainly haven’t helped.
“We’ve had lots of inquiries and lots of no-shows. And so we’ve had to cancel the bus.”
The bus ran for some 45 years, leaving Elora at 7:25am, driving to stops in Fergus and then down Hwy. 6 to Guelph. It would stop at the Guelph Public Library downtown and then the University of Guelph, where the majority of riders would disembark.
And at 5:30pm it would leave the university and make its way back to Centre Wellington.
In its heyday it would have as many as 35 commuters but normally there would be between 12 and 20 regular riders. That was enough, Hastie said, to keep the bus on the road.
It stopped during the pandemic and ridership never regained traction. People have found other means of transportation, retired, or continue to work from home, Hastie speculated.
“For myself, it’s a sad day. The bus has operated here as long as I’ve been around,” she said.
Athol Gow has taken the commuter bus from Elora to the University of Guelph almost every working day since 1981 when he was still a student at the university. He and his wife have one car, and he found the bus convenient and economical.
“And convivial,” he added. “This is a small community. There have been tons of good chats and a social life came out of it. We held Christmas parties; we held a lottery for what day the snowbanks at Ennottville would be gone.”
Gow recalled a few adventures as well. Like the time the bus broke down. And the time a bus hit a deer.
“It was a good green alternative and they made efforts to keep it going. But after the pandemic, ridership didn’t rebound. I guess it doesn’t make sense to run an empty bus,” he said.
About 20 riders and drivers came out for the farewell and on this occasion, this group of adults certainly acted like children heading on a field trip.
Athol Gow, with his head sticking out the window, took to some hijinx while other riders clearly identified him as the guilty party. Photo by Joanne Shuttleworth
There was joking, teasing and a good amount of tom foolery.
Mike Moss, a geography professor at the university, said he rode the bus regularly from 1977 till 2005 when he retired.
“This was pre-internet, so it was a great way to learn stuff,” he said. “There were a lot of subject experts on the bus.”
“We developed a really strong community and we had lots of good discussions,” Paula Menzies added. “And what a loss this is. We really need inter-city transportation. Why could they fill the bus in the 90s and 00s and not now?
“It was the best kept secret,” Jason Thompson said.
