[ShonTron]

I'm going to go Dylan Leblanc on you guys and ask about strange, weird, or "secret" bus routes that you take. It's for a short article I'm writing up - I think I have enough ideas (its a short 400 word space). I was thinking along the lines of the 171 Mount Dennis/99 Arrow Road, the 101 Downsview Park, the 28A Davisville-Brickworks, and the strange 144 DVP express. Then there are the odd, but fun rides, like the 72A via Cherry and Commissioners.

I'm not sure if I will cover the suburbs, but there's some funny ones in Brampton and Mississauga like the BT 77A and the MT 230.

 

[Observer Walt]

For many years the 230 route in Mississauga was known as the "phantom" route. It was not even shown on the MT route map. Since the route was extended a couple of years ago, it is now shown on the map but I would think it would be the least known route in Miss.

 

[junctionist]

Looking back, I realize that I took a unique bus route in high school. My school was Michael Power near Centennial Park in Etobicoke. There's an express bus that runs twice after school ends (and only during the school year) that makes the trip from Renforth and Eringate down the 427 to Kipling Station. The bus was always packed, and some older buses would rock sideways at highway speeds.

The bus route was the 112E.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

need i explain why?

i always thought 42 cummer was kinda odd.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Trippers

Before the subway came on the scene, there where several "tripper" streetcar routes. Today only the 503 Kingston Road and 508 Lake Shore exist.
These were generally hour route extensions allowing passengers to make their trip without transferring vehicles. The Davenport (pre-Ossington bus) streetcar went west on King instead of terminating at Shaw and King, the Danforth streetcar went south on Church Street, and others.

 

[doady]

i always thought 42 cummer was kinda odd.

Speaking of which, check out MT route 47

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

speaking of which, check out mt route 47

rotflmao!!

 

[RedRocket191]

i always thought 42 cummer was kinda odd.

It's german. The original name of the family who settled the area was Kummer.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I like taking the 97 Yonge bus when I can, though it's very infrequent and takes forever due to the stops in stations. It reminds me that there's a city up there and taking it downtown is like a ride on a bizarro Vomit Comet.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

It's german. The original name of the family who settled the area was Kummer.

i wonder why they didn't spell it with a "k" ?

 

[RedRocket191]

i wonder why they didn't spell it with a "k" ?

The british thought it was icky?

 

[Towered]

Looking back, I realize that I took a unique bus route in high school. My school was Michael Power near Centennial Park in Etobicoke. There's an express bus that runs twice after school ends (and only during the school year) that makes the trip from Renforth and Eringate down the 427 to Kipling Station. The bus was always packed, and some older buses would rock sideways at highway speeds.

The bus route was the 112E.

As a fellow Power attendee, I can vouch for that route

 

[jks]

Well, from my high-school, Silverthorn (Mill/Burnhamthorpe), there is always a bus or two waiting in front of the school (They stay northbound on Mill). when the buses are almost full with students, the bus leaves and continues as regular route 50 Burn'thorpe, or 48 Rathburn. IDK, I always found that strange. Never found out why.

 

[junctionist]

As a fellow Power attendee, I can vouch for that route

That's great. Those times on the TTC were memorable. The drivers complained of the noise once in a while, and the annoying ones punished the whole bus for troublemakers by means like carding. Once the supervisor came on board and told us in his most stern voice to behave or the route would be cancelled.

 

[DavidH]

Looking back, I realize that I took a unique bus route in high school. My school was Michael Power near Centennial Park in Etobicoke. There's an express bus that runs twice after school ends (and only during the school year) that makes the trip from Renforth and Eringate down the 427 to Kipling Station. The bus was always packed, and some older buses would rock sideways at highway speeds.
The bus route was the 112E.

Interesting. I went to high school in that same building back in the early 1980s when it was still Vincent Massey Collegiate (the public school as opposed to the Catholic school). Near the end, we only had 400 students rattling around in that big building, which made it a lot of fun. Of course, the down side is that I am an alumnus of a school which no longer exists, which means no reunions ever. This may or may not be a good thing.

We never had any such special student routes, though - just the regular 112.

To add something relevant to the thread, I live on Audley Road in Ajax and my local route is 222 Audley South, which runs in a one-way loop on the road heading northbound towards Bayly. There is also school special version of the route heading to the local public and Catholic high schools making several trips in the morning and afternoon. They are unique in that they run soutbound on Audley and do not actually use any of the marked stop locations on the street. I have no idea why they do it this way.