William's Omnibus Line
140 Yonge Street Toronto, ON, Canada

A drawing of Mr. Williams' large omnibus, on Yonge Street in front of the Red Lion Hotel. 1851.

Toronto's 1st omni-bus visited the Halton County Radial Railway last summer to see the moving vintage streetcars there. Open streetcar #327 was originally built in 1893 by the Toronto Railway Company, but "accidentally" destroyed by a fire in 1919. It was rebuilt by the Toronto Transit Commission in 1934 for Toronto's Centennial display at the CNE.

Mr. Williams and Harry the Horse (founders of Toronto's 1st bus line) were brought from 1862 to TTC's 1st Doors Open Toronto event in 2007. Their tour guide, th...e Time-Traveling Transit Historian, brought them to Lower Bay Station, a hidden subway platform from 1966. This was just one stop on their road trip through history, so stay tuned to Transit Bricks for more adventures!

Mr. Williams' small omnibus out front of Colborne Lodge In High Park, Toronto. Photo by Transit Bricks.

Toronto's 1st bus, founded by Henry Burt Williams in 1849. The small horse-drawn omnibuses ran on Yonge Street from St. Lawrence Hall on King Street to the Red Lion Inn on Bloor Street.