(Above) Front view of the Kitchener Transit Centre on Charles Street in Downtown Kitchener; (Below) Inside the terminal, two platforms serve local buses while the third (to the right of the picture) servies out-of-town buses.

TERMINALS

(1) KITCHENER TRANSPORTATION CENTER (Downtown Kitchener)

Location: In one entire block, bounded by Charles St, Guakel St, Joseph St, and Ontario St.

Comments: This is the main transfer terminal, which also handles inter-city buses including Greyhound and Trentway-Wager. Built in 1988 to replace the original and dangerously overcrowded terminal on Duke Street (now a combination parking lot/bridal shop across from the Farmer's Market), this two-level structure features three platforms (two of which are used for local buses) and is fully accessible. The terminal includes licensed restaurant and cafeteria, both named TRANSFERS.

Buses generally approach the terminal from the northwest via Charles Street (a one way street) or from the northeast, via Gaukel Street. Some buses, approaching from the southwest, must use Joseph and Ontario Streets to approach the terminal. Upon leaving, buses either return to King via Gaukel or, in the case of a southbound 7, Ontario Street, while other buses use Joseph Street to reach Queen Street and points west, and others use Charles Street and Frederick to reach points southeast and east.

(Above) Here you see Fairview's island bus platform, including shelters. We're looking southeast towards Fairway Road.

(2) FAIRVIEW PARK MALL (Kitchener South-East End)

Location: Fairway Rd, at Fairway Mall's west entrance, between Wilson Ave. and Highway 8.

Comments: This terminal existed from the day the mall opened. The only major change since was a refit in the mid-1980s into its current island design. The addition of routes 17 and 20 forced the terminal to spill over to the sidewalk next to the Bay's department store (route 17) and some sharing of platforms (route 20 and route 8B)

Routes generally access Fairview from Fairway Road to the south or Kingsway Drive to the north. Some routes approaching from the southwest, use Wilson Avenue to get to Kingsway Drive in order to approach the island terminal from the north.

(Above) Kitchener Transit opened its spiffy new Conestoga Mall terminal in 1997. This island terminal is in the centre of a major parking lot, by the mall's front doors, making it very prominent.

(3) CONESTOGA MALL (Waterloo North End)

Location: At Conestoga Mall, central entrance, near King St. North and Highway 86.

Comments: Buses have been going to the mall since 1973, but the current island terminal didn't exist until August 1996. Two empty bays are available for future route expansion.

Approach from this mall is limited to access roads taking the buses either to King Street from the west, or Davenport Road in the east. Conestoga Mall is far enough north in Waterloo that most of its buses come from the south anyway.

(4) OTHER TIME-TRANSFER POINTS

The following is a list of other points where routes converge ­ many have preliminary plans for future terminals of their own:

1. STANLEY PARK MALL (corner of Ottawa St. & River Rd, Kitchener East End). Most routes share a stop in front of Zellers Department store, while another bus has special bays at the River Rd. entrance.
2. HIGHLAND HILLS MALL (on Queen's Blvd., just west of Fischer-Hallman Rd, Kitchener West End). A number of routes share on-street stops along Queen Street near the south end of Highland Hills Mall.
3. FOREST GLEN PLAZA (corner of Strasburg Rd. & Block Line Rd, Kitchener South-West End) A number of routes stop at four bus stops arranged at all four corners of the intersection.
4. CONESTOGA COLLEGE (corner Conestoga College Blvd. & Doon Valley Dr, Kitchener South End) Three routes have stops throughout the campus, with the main stop located at the Central Campus building.
5. KING AND UNIVERSITY (corner of King St. North and University Ave, Waterloo North End) Extra wide bus bays at stops on University Ave, near Wilfrid Laurier University.

(Above) Care has been taken to make the bus stops at the Waterloo Towne Centre pleasant for transit users.

6. WATERLOO TOWN SQUARE (King St., between William St. and Erb St, Uptown Waterloo) Although a sidewalk terminal, the waiting area outside Waterloo Towne Square has been modified with landscaping and creative architecture to make it attractive to transit users. Extra wide bus bays to serve two bus routes on King St. at the Willis Way entrance to the shopping mall.
7. UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO (bounded by University Ave, Westmount Rd, Columbia St, and Philip St., Waterloo North End) Several routes converge on the University of Waterloo, with one running along the campus ring road, and others stopping at the corners of University Avenue and Seagram Drive.

Last Updated: May 1, 2001. Thank you for visiting