Two drivers who’ve spent more than 45 years each working for Hamilton Street Railway say the appearance of their riders over the decades is the first thing that comes to their mind when recalling their careers behind the wheel.
Both Pasquale “Pat” Almonte, a driver for 45 years, and the retired Maurice Powell, driver for 53 years, remember how industrial workers dressed in overalls and business people in formal wear and briefcases were a common sight packing the service’s downtown routes regularly.
“When I started in 1979, we used to get a lot of workers going to the industrial area of Hamilton, like Stelco, Dofasco, Firestone … because there was not enough parking,” Almonte recalls.
“Coming down from the Mountain was packed as well, we used to get business people with suits and briefcases coming to downtown Hamilton to the offices, again because there was not enough parking.”
He admits riders’ appearances now are much more casual amid a growing city that has an annual ridership of about 21 million per year.
The veterans say that once signed on with the HSR they never thought of doing anything else, insisting there have been more good times on the job than rough days.
“I just love the job,” Almonte says.
“I like interacting with people, I like seeing life from behind the wheel and the windshield.”
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Powell says he was on vacation in his native Jamaica when his application was accepted paving the way for his first Canadian job in 1969.
“I left a phone number for them to contact me, and they called me my sister,” he recalls.
“They called and said they need me.”
Pasquale was already a driver, navigating five-tonne dump trucks across the city at the age of 18 before deciding to give the HSR a go at 24.
“I could not apply at the HSR because you had to be 25 at the time,” he explained.
“So I got a factory job at Inglis making appliances, but that was not for me.”
The driver’s stories are just some that will be shared this year at the Take a Ride exhibit on Lister Block.
The ongoing event is free and features archive materials as well as artifacts showing off the HSR’s 150-year journey from horse and buggy to their current natural gas-powered buses.
A curated showcase at the visitor centre also runs until Dec. 21, and includes old photographs and wayfinding signs from as far back as the late 1800s.
Director of Transit Maureen Cosyn Heath says retro-wrapped buses and $1.50 fare days are other ways the transit service will celebrate its anniversary this year.
Sales of commemorative HSR 150 PRESTO cards began Tuesday at the HSR Customer Service Centre on Hunter Street.
“In the fall, we’re going to host an open house at the Mountain Transit Center, which will give everyone an opportunity to see what putting bus service on the road every day is like,” Cosyn Heath revealed.
In 2024, the service is almost 1,000 workers strong and one of the largest divisions in the city.
More than 300 buses are cleaned and prepped in city garages each night before being deployed on municipal roads.
Cosyn Heath says 2024 will bring a new growth plan to service riders over the next five to 10 years through re-envisioning routes and building an upgraded network.
“We did extensive public consultation, and we have subsequently taken all the consultation we garnered and put into the final iteration we’ll be bringing to council in a report before the end of 2024,” Cosyn Heath said.
More details on where and when residents can experience the HSR’s anniversary campaign can be seen on the City of Hamilton’s website.