Archive Record
Metadata
Collection |
Wilbus and Addendum |
Catalog Number |
010 |
Scope & Content |
Records of Wilbus, the Wilmette bus system, 1974-1995. The Board of Trustees of the Village of Wilmette voted to begin its own bus system on an experimental basis. Service began March 18, 1974, and was so successful that no thought was given to discontinuing the experiment. Instead ridership steadily increased. The system had been planned and initially was managed by Northwestern students under the firm name of OTR Planning Consultants, Inc. They continued to manage the line until June, 1977, when the Village of Wilmette took over management. At that time, Will Heelan was appointed Manager and John Braband, Assistant Manager, both employees of the Village of Wilmette. Both men started as bus drivers in 1974. The offices were moved to the Village Yard. RTA (Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois) provided a subsidy to the Village of Wilmette beginning June, 1974. PACE (Suburban Bus Division of RTA) was formed in 1981, and control of the subsidy was transferred to PACE. Wilbus operations were transferred from the Village Yard to PACE North Shore Division at 2330 Oakton in Evanston beginning in January, 1995. At this time the Village of Wilmette ceased to be involved with Wilbus. PACE assumed direct operation of the bus line. |
Object Name |
Records |
Title |
Wilbus |
Catalog type |
Archive |
Physical characteristics |
paper |
Dates of Creation |
1974-1995 |
Dates of Accumulation |
1974-1995 |
Creator |
Wilbus |
Admin/Biographical History |
The Board of Trustees of the Village of Wilmette voted to begin its own bus system on an experimental basis. Service began March 18, 1974, and was so successful that no thought was given to discontinuing the experiment. Instead ridership steadily increased. The system had been planned and initially was managed by Northwestern students under the firm name of OTR Planning Consultants, Inc. They continued to manage the line until June, 1977, when the Village of Wilmette took over management. At that time, Will Heelan was appointed Manager and John Braband, Assistant Manager, both employees of the Village of Wilmette. Both men started as bus drivers in 1974. The offices were moved to the Village Yard. RTA (Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois) provided a subsidy to the Village of Wilmette beginning June, 1974. PACE (Suburban Bus Division of RTA) was formed in 1981, and control of the subsidy was transferred to PACE. Wilbus operations were transferred from the Village Yard to PACE North Shore Division at 2330 Oakton in Evanston beginning in January, 1995. At this time the Village of Wilmette ceased to be involved with Wilbus. PACE assumed direct operation of the bus line. |
Related units of description |
North Shore Magazine, November, 1979 Communicator, 1974, 1979, #2, p. 8 A Newspaper History of Wilbus, 1974-1994 [see book collection] Oversized document collection--large bus cards, etc. Object Collection--Fare boxes, etc. Accession #'s 1991.65.1&2; 1993.82 |
Classification |
Transportation Wilmette, Village of |