Compiled by Pete Coulman

West York and District Bus Services Operation

December 14, 1937

Service begins on the WESTMOUNT route, run by the private operator West York & District Bus Services, running from Keele and Vine (one block north of Dundas) via north on Keele, west on St. Clair, north on Runnymede, west on Henrietta, north on Castleton, west on Pritchard, north on Jane, west on Florence, west on Eileen and north on Scarlett Road to Lawrence Avenue. After wying at Lawrence, buses return via the reverse route.

June 21, 1942

South end terminus cut back to Maria and Runnymede on orders of the Dominion Transit Controller (the official ultimately responsible for transit operations during wartime), effectively blocking the route from the City of Toronto.

November 1, 1944

Southern terminus restored to Keele and Vine.

Spring 1946

West York and District Bus Service becomes West York Coach Lines Ltd, with buses operating out of a garage owned by West York Moters Ltd., at 444 Pacific Avenue (the southwest corner with Vine). All maineance work is contracted out, except for minor repairs and paint touch-ups.

May 1, 1952

Route extended at both ends. In the south, buses operate from Annette and Keele via north on Keele. In the north, buses continue from Lawrence and Scarlett via north on Scarlett, west on the Malton Side Road (today’s Dixon Road) to Royal York. During rush hours, some trips operate via St. Clair and Scarlett between Runnymede and Eileen, instead of via Pritchard and Jane. Service is provided Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. One bus provides service every two hours during normal periods, while two buses provide hourly service during the peak.

TTC Operation

July 1, 1954

With the Toronto Transit Commission now responsible for all public transportation operation within Metropolitan Toronto, service on WESTMOUNT is taken over by the TTC and operated out of Parkdale Garage. Buses operate Runnymede and Dundas. After looping via east on Pritchard, south on Castleton, east on Henrietta and south on Runnymede, buses operate via west on Dundas, north Jane, west on Foxwell, north on Scarlett, west on Dixon, and north on Islington, looping counterclockwise via east on Allenby, north on Burrard, west on Hadrian to the intersection of Islington and Rexdale Boulevard, returning via the reverse route.

December 12, 1955

In conjunction with the inauguration of the REXDALE bus, the north end of the WESTMOUNT route is cut back to run east from Scarlett Road and Lawrence to loop at Lawrence and Main (today, Weston Road). One bus provides hourly service throughout the day and two buses provide half-hourly service during rush hours.

MALTON-WESTMOUNT transfer donated from the collection of John Knight.

July 1, 1956

Service combined with MALTON and known as MALTON-WESTMOUNT during off-peak hours (primarily on transfers — see right. Rollsigns did not change). One bus provides service on both legs for service every two hours. From Lawrence and Main, buses continue via west on Lawrence, north on Scarlett, west on Dixon, west on Malton, northwest on Airport Road, looping clockwise via west on Ripon, northwest on York and northeast on Scarboro to Airport Road, returning via the reverse route. This combination also allows for the Malton bus to leave the airport on the half-hour. Again, as with the previous MALTON-REXDALE combination, two different fare boxes are installed in the service bus to differentiate between the fares paid on the individual routes. This was important because, although WESTMOUNT operated exclusively within the Zone 2 fare zone, the Malton branch operated through Zones 2 through 5.

September 1956

Assigned route number 87.

April 1, 1957

With ‘multiple-route’ transfers in use, 87 WESTMOUNT becomes a ‘sub-route’ of 50 KINGSWAY. Also around this time, MALTON and WESTMOUNT routes operate as separate routes at all times of operation. Headways remain the same, however: every sixty minutes throughout the day, and every thirty minutes during rush hours.

January 4, 1958

Last day of operation. Route name and number discontinued, and service replaced by an extension of the 93 WOODBRIDGE bus.

87 Westmount Image Archive

	A map of the West York Coach Lines operations, effective 1953, highlighting the MALTON, WESTMOUNT and EILEEN routes. The first two were taken over by the TTC after 1954. Item donated by Pete Coulman.
	WESTMOUNT and MALTON buses operating for the West York & District Bus Services wait to enter service at West York Garage in the summer of 1953. This photo is by James Victor Salmon and is courtesy the Toronto Public Library, (photo S1-1352B).
	A TTC map of bus operations in the Borough of Etobicoke on December 12, 1955, showing changes that have occurred to the 87 WESTMOUNT, 80 REXDALE and 58 MALTON routes (in particular, MALTON operations before its take-over by the TTC).
	A WOODBRIDGE bus pauses near Lawrence and Main Street (Weston Road) beside REXDALE and WESTMOUNT buses in this June 1956 shot. The photographer is unknown.
	A map of the TTC's WESTMOUNT operations, effective July 1, 1954