With the invention of the bus and the paving of roads around Hamilton, in the early 1920s several bus lines were founded to operate intercity bus routes between Hamilton and surrounding towns and cities. Some of these routes would be in direct competition with the radial lines owned by the Cataract Company while others operated routes that were entirely new.
In response starting in 1927 the Cataract Company went on a buying spree and purchased all bus companies operating routes out of Hamilton, with the exception of Gray Coach Lines operating between Hamilton & Toronto.
Hamilton Bus Lines (HBL) began operations on January 10, 1925 between Hamilton and St. Catharines. It was incorporated on February 10, 1925. Running along Hwy 8 just like the HG&B, the operation of the HBL cut into the HG&B's revenues to the point that the HG&B began seeking alternatives, culminating in the Cataract Company buying the HBL on March 18, 1927.
At the time of sale the HBL had a fleet of 7 buses. Interestingly enough the HBL did not number some of the buses in their bus fleet, but rather gave them names like Miss Beamsville and Miss Grimsby, names that would remain while in service with the Cataract company. The HBL name would live on, becoming a subsidiary of the Cataract company that would own all future bus companies that the Cataract company purchased.
HBL #203 at the Hamilton Terminal Station, date unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Street railway.)
HBL bus Miss Grimsby and another HBL bus at King & John by the Hamilton Bus Terminal waiting room and office. This photo is from an ad for the HBL in the July 15, 1926 Hamilton Spectator.
This is an advertising flyer for the Gotfredson corporation. The photo in the ad shows a HBL 50-B-29, built by Gotfredson in 1927. (Photographer unknown)
The smashed body of the HBL bus Miss Beamsville on December 28, 1929 after a collision with a Tamblyn Drugs delivery truck on Beach Blvd. Photo courtesy of the December 30, 1929 Hamilton Spectator, pg 7.
Comet Bus Lines (CBL) began operations on March 10, 1922. The CBL ran between Hamilton and Galt, originally an every two hour service only on weekends. On April 3rd this service started running every day of the week. By August 1922 CBL had a fleet of 2 buses, which had grown to 26 buses by December 1924. The CBL also ran a local bus service between Galt and Preston through a subsidiary company with its own fleet of five buses. On February 28, 1929 the Cataract Company took over ownership of the CBL, with CBL operations being taken over as of March 13.
Owned by James L. Grightmire, Highway King Bus Lines (HKBL) began operations on January 14, 1921 using a makeshift bus built on top of a truck frame. This was replaced by the first true bus a month later. Service began under the name Blue Jay Bus Service, but was renamed Highway King Bus Lines to commemorate the second bus named Highway King. This bus and several others were built on top of a National Trucks chassis with the body made by HKBL. The company was incorporated on March 4, 1924. Buses with known details are in the table below.
| Number | Entered Service | Chassis | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Feb 19, 1921 | National Truck, 1 1/2 ton | named Blue Jay |
| 2 |
Apr 20, 1921 | National Truck, 2 ton | named Highway King |
| 3 |
Nov 14, 1921 | National Truck | |
| 4 |
May 13, 1922 | National Truck | Collided with HSR 93 Jul 28, 1922 |
By March 1924 there were 8 buses in the HKBL fleet. Known HKBL buses included the Silver Queen and the Silver King. HKBL buses were painted green & gold except for the special buses which were painted grey and blue, which would last until Apr 1927 when the entire fleet was painted in grey and blue. HKBL was purchased by the Cataract Company on Jan 29, 1929. At the time the HKBL had 15 buses, all of which were taken on. HKBL bus numbers reached as high as #18, but as 15 buses were part of the sale to the Cataract Company this means that either the HKBL skipped some numbers or some buses had been retired by 1929.
The Cataract Company did not merge the HKBL into Hamilton Bus Lines like with the other lines, but instead turned it into the parent company that operated the HBL. All buses would be labelled HBL, with the HKBL as the owner and operator
HKBL #3 around 1923, location unknown.
HKBL #4 after colliding with HSR #93 on the H&D at Main St West & Leland, July 28, 1922, Looking north. (Photo courtesy of the Dundas Museum & Archives, used with permission)
HKBL #5 around 1927, location unknown.
HKBL #18, location unknown. This photo is from an ad for the HKBL in the March 2, 1928 Hamilton Spectator.
An HKBL bus, location unknown. This photo appears in an ad for the HKBL in the July 15, 1926 Hamilton Spectator.
The PBL had the original license to run buses along what's now Hwy 6 between Hamilton and Guelph. Little is known about the early days of the PBL, but it was in operation before 1922. On February 28, 1929 the Cataract Company took over ownership of the PBL, with PBL operations being taken over as of March 13.
The front cover of a PBL bus schedule, date unknown.
The inside of a PBL bus schedule, date unknown.
Publicity photo of PBL #11 taken in 1927, location unknown. The chassis is built by GMC, but it's unknown who built the body.
Interior and exterior photos of new Pathfinder parlor bus, location unknown. The chassis is built by White, but it's unknown who built the body. The bus was delivered to the PBL in mid June 1928 and was on display at an electrical railways convention in Toronto before entering service with the PBL at the end of the month. This photo is from an ad for the PBL in the June 28, 1928 Hamilton Spectator.
The RBT ran south out of Hamilton, along Hwy 6 from Hamilton to Caledonia, Hagersville and Jarvis. Not much is known about its beginnings, but it was one of the companies that formed the group called Union Bus Lines in 1921. On January 2, 1922 RBT opened their own Hamilton bus station at Walnut & Main, moving out of the Hamilton bus terminal at Main & John. RBT was bought by United Lines on July 8, 1922.
United Lines (UL) was unlike the other Hamilton area bus companies. Rather than a passenger only service, UL operated extensive freight operations, operating what was in their words "A railroad system over the highways". UL acquired Red Bird Transit and its routes in June 1922 to give them an immediate presence in the Hamilton area passenger market. UL would start using the former RBT station at Walnut & Main in July 1922, but would move to the Hamilton bus terminal at Main & John in 1923. Service to Dunnville via Caledonia began in August.
UL would acquire two more bus lines; the Preferred Bus Lines on May 2, 1925, and the Toronto based Metropolitan Bus Lines on July 28, 1927. This latter purchase operated transit bus service in St. Thomas as well as intercity routes to the west along with 21 buses. However the St. Thomas transit service was cancelled on December 6 when residents of St. Thomas refused to grant a $6000 per year subsidy.
On February 28, 1929 the Cataract Company took over ownership of the UL, with operations being taken over as of March 13.
UL #2 at Walnut and Main in 1923.
Blue Bird Transit (BBT) was based out of Toronto and operated buses between Toronto & Hamilton starting in July 1920. A route between Port Nelson & Hamilton began on December 15, 1920. By August 1922 BBT had 6 buses. BBT was bought in September 1922 by the Ontario General Omnibus Company which went bankrupt shortly after.
A Blue Bird bus is blocked by flood waters on Lakeshore Rd in Toronto, June 29 1921. (Photo courtesy of the Library and Archives Canada)
In October 1921 several of the independent bus companies serving Hamilton (Blue Bird Transit, Red Bird Transit, HKBL, Wentworth Bus and CBL) began working together and formed Union Bus Lines, a co-ordinated network of services while the companies remained independent. The UBL operated the city of Hamilton's first bus terminal. The original plan was to rent a space for a waiting room at King & Catherine, with buses unloading on the east side of Catherine and loading on the west side. This plan fell through, and was replaced in December with a location at Main & John next to the then downtown post office. (RBT would move to their own bus station at the start of 1922)
By May 1924 Union Bus Lines was renamed to Associated Bus Lines (possibly to avoid confusion with the United Lines), and consisted of the CBL, the HKBL, Lake Shore Transit, The Preferred Bus Line, Mount Hamilton Bus Lines, the Waterdown line, and Pathfinder Bus Lines. The ABL remained until the late 1920s, when the Cataract Company's purchasing of most of its members made the ABL unneeded and it was shut down.
Hamilton's first bus terminal at Main & John, October 24, 1927. The bus on the left is a Comet lines bus, the fifth bus is a Highway King Bus Line bus. (Photo courtesy of the Library and Archives Canada)
On June 2 1931 it was announced that HKBL owned by Ontario Hydro would be sold to a Montreal group lead by Francis Farewell. Ontario Hydro had taken over the Cataract Company in 1930 and wanted to dispose of the transportation side of the business, with the exception of the HSR. HKBL started service to replace the HG&B and the B&H on July 1 after the radial lines closed down using a dozen buses bought from the TTC. The Highway King Bus Lines were renamed the Highway King Coach Lines (HKCL) on Sept 29, 1931 with the delivery of 13 new buses built by National Steel Car on White bus company chassis. All buses would be labelled for HKCL instead of Hamilton Bus Lines as previously
The HKCL would expand several times over the next few years. Service to Kitchener and Waterloo began on December 7. On September 28, 1932 the HKCL took over service along the Niagara River between Chippewa and Queenston after the closure of the International Railway Company. HKCL bought Southern Ontario Bus Lines on October 3, 1935 giving it access to Elgin county routes. Mallory Bus lines were purchased on February 2, 1937, removing a competitor between Beamsville and St Catharines.
Highway King Coach Lines was renamed Canada Coach Lines on June 8, 1937
HKCL #429 at Niagara Falls in the summer of 1936. (Photo courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, Digital Collections)
HKCL #603 at the steamship dock in Queenston, ON, date unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, Digital Collections)
HKCL #623, date and location unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, Digital Collections)
