The Niagara Parks Commission People Mover is a bus service in the city of Niagara Falls , Ontario , Canada . The service links the various tourist sights and attractions along the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and the gorge downstream of it.

American Falls "shut off" during erosion control efforts in 1969

The current People Mover busses replaced the Victoria Park Viewmobile, which had begun service in 1971 in an effort to ease traffic congestion in Queen Victoria Park. The Viewmobiles were two red towing trailers attached to a tractor truck, and served the boundaries of the park, as well as the adjacent Dufferin Islands . The Viewmobiles were retired from service when the current system launched in time for the 1985 tourist season.

The People Mover service is operated by the Niagara Parks Commission, and is unusual in that it is operated by two-unit buses, comprising a motor unit towing a separate trailer. It should not be confused with the city transit bus service, operated by Niagara Transit, although that also provides shuttle bus service to the falls area from various parts of the city.

Service

The 32 km (19 miles) system operates along the Niagara Parkway from Table Rock Point by the Horseshoe Falls , downstream to the Floral Clock in the north. The stops along the route serve attractions including:

* The Journey Behind the Falls

* The Maid of the Mist boat cruise

* The foot of the Clifton Hill tourist promenade

* The Whirlpool Aero Car

At Table Rock Point, the People Mover connects with a free shuttle bus to and from the Rapidsview parking lot, and with the Falls Incline Railway that serves the Fallsview Tourist Area, with its hotels and casinos.

The service operates every 20 minutes from April to October each year. A single all-day ticket, issued as a sticker, allows passengers to hop on and off the buses along the route, and also allows the holder to ride the Falls Incline Railway. Fares for 2007 are as follows:

* Adult $7.50

* Children 6-12 $4.50

* Children under 5 FREE

Fleet

The service is operated by an unusual fleet of eleven two-unit buses, each comprising a motor unit towing a separate trailer. The buses were built by Orion Bus Industries of Mississauga, Ontario, are powered by propane and have been in service since the mid 1980s. The fleet comprises:

* Orion Bus Industries IV 04.501 - motor unit

* Orion Bus Industries IV 04.502 - trailer

Future plans

There are plans to replace the buses with a some form of fixed route transit system, although no decision has been made on the exact technology to be used, or indeed whether to proceed with the plans. Most of the discussions center around a loop service, which would combine the current route along the Niagara Parkway close to the falls and gorge, with a more inland return loop along a recently abandoned rail line serving the Clifton Hill and Fallsview tourist areas.