Bridgeport Bus Routes in the 1950s and 1960s
By 
Don Browne, Harding Class of 1962

Bridgeport had three transportation companies: Barnum & State, CR&L. and Gray Line (a/k/a GE-Seaside Park). Each bus stop was designated by an 18-inch wide white band painted on a convenient telephone pole. Each white band was stenciled with "BUS STOP" in yellow. By the mid-fifties, the yellow stencil had faded away.

Barnum & State had their bus barn at 41 Sage Avenue, between Boston and Barnum Avenues. The bus barn contained four buses and one extra, parked outside in their lot. During non-rush hours, three buses were on the circuit, arriving about every thirty minutes to a bus stop; during rush hours, four buses were on the circuit, arriving about every twenty minutes to a bus stop. One bus was a spare.

CR&L (name adopted in 1901) had their bus barn at 55 Congress Street, north of the Bpt. RR station between Housatonic Street and the Pequonnock River. The bus barn contained about sixty buses, covering ten routes. During non-rush hours, four buses were on the circuit, arriving about every twenty minutes to a bus stop; during rush hours, six buses were on the circuit, arriving about every fifteen minutes to a bus stop. The exceptions were Route #6, Route #7, Route #10, and Route #13, which arrived every thirty minutes to a bus stop; and Route #14 and Route #15 which operated from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and arrived every hour to a bus stop.

Operation at 55 Congress Street ceased in November 1972.

Extract from Wikipedia:

The Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company Car Barn was located inBridgeport, Connecticut. The building was built in 1910 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 3, 1987. The building served as the principal repair and storage facility for the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company which provided Bridgeport's streetcar service in the early 20th century. The building became the Bridgeport Public Works Department garage but was demolished to make way for the construction of the Connecticut Superior Court Juvenile facility.

Gray Line had their GE-Seaside Park bus barn at 135 Dover Street between Boston Avenue and Tudor Street. The bus barn contained four buses and one extra, parked outside in the street. During non-rush hours, three buses were on the circuit, arriving about every thirty minutes to a bus stop; during rush hours, four buses were on the circuit, arriving about every twenty minutes to a bus stop. One bus was a spare.

In the early 1970s, all three bus companies were consolidated into the Greater Bridgeport Transportation District, with headquarters at 525 Water Street.

Barnum & State 
(Orange & Black 15 ft buses/25 seats)
 Route

East Terminus - Barnum Avenue at Sage Avenue (Bpt. City Line)

West on Barnum Avenue; South on Seaview Avenue; West on Crescent Avenue; South on Kossuth Street; West on Stratford Avenue; South on Water Street; West on John Street; North on Park Avenue; West on Fairfield Avenue (Grove Street is the Bassick High School bus stop) to State Street;

West Terminus - Fairfield Avenue at State Street

East on State Street; North on Water Street to Bpt Bus Terminal; East on Stratford Avenue; North on Kossuth Street; East on Crescent Avenue; North on Seaview Avenue; East on Barnum Avenue to Sage Avenue East Terminus.

Connecticut Railway & Lighting 
(Green & Yellow 25 ft buses/35 seats)
 Routes

Route #6 - Noble Avenue

South Terminus - Noble Avenue at Congress Street - North on Noble Avenue to Beardsley Park entrance.

North Terminus - Beardsley Park entrance - South on Noble Avenue to Congress Street Terminus.

Route #7 - Park Avenue

South Terminus - Seaside Park Arch at the foot of Park Avenue - North on Park Avenue to Ninety Acres Park.

North Terminus - Ninety Acres Park at Notre Dame High School - South on Park Avenue to the Seaside Park Arch Terminus.

Route #8 - Main Street

South Terminus - Seaside Park entrance at Park Place (Conte's Drive-In) - North on Main Street to Brookside Shopping Center Terminus.

North Terminus - Brookside Shopping Center - South on Main Street to Seaside Park entrance at Park Place Terminus.

Route #9 - East Main Street/Broadbridge Avenue

East Terminus - Broadbridge Avenue at Pearl Harbor Street - South on Pearl Harbor Street to Success Avenue - South on Success Avenue to Granfield Avenue - West on Granfield Avenue to Palisades Avenue - South on Palisades Avenue to Boston Avenue (Warren Harding High School) - West on Boston Avenue to East Main Street - South on East Main Street to Stratford Avenue - West on Stratford Avenue to the RR Station - West on Fairfield Avenue to the Terminus at Park Avenue.

West Terminus - Fairfield Avenue at Park Avenue - East on Fairfield Avenue to the RR Station - East on Stratford Avenue to East Main Street - North on East Main Street to Boston Avenue - East on Boston Avenue to Palisades Avenue (Warren Harding High School) - North on Palisades Avenue to Granfield Avenue - East on Granfield Avenue to Success Avenue - North on Success Avenue to Pearl Harbor Street - North on Pearl Harbor Street to the Broadbridge Avenue Terminus.

Route #10 - North Bridgeport

South Terminus - Main Street at Fairfield Avenue - North on Main Street to North Avenue - East on North Avenue to Glenwood Avenue - East on Boston Avenue to East Main Street - North on East Main Street to Huntington Turnpike - North on Huntington Turnpike to the Terminus at Broadbridge Avenue.

North Terminus - Huntington Turnpike at Broadbridge Avenue - South on Huntington Turnpike to East Main Street - South on East Main Street to Boston Avenue - West on Boston Avenue to Glenwood Avenue - West on North Avenue to Main Street - South on Main Street to the Terminus at Fairfield Avenue.

Route #11 - Fairfield

East Terminus - Main Street & Fairfied Avenue - West on Fairfield Avenue to the Terminus at Dewhirst Avenue (Ritz Ballroom).

West Terminus - Fairfield Avenue at Dewhirst Avenue (Ritz Ballroom) - East on Fairfield Avenue to the Main Street & Fairfield Avenue Terminus

Route #12- Stratford

West Terminus - Main Street & Fairfield Avenue - East on Fairfield Avenue to the Bpt RR station - East on Stratford Avenue to the Bpt City Line - East on Ferry Blvd to the Terminus at Elm Street Stratford.

East Terminus - Ferry Blvd and Elm Street Stratford - West on Ferry Blvd to the Bpt City Line - West on Connecticut Avenue to Stratford Avenue - West on Stratford Avenue to the RR Station - West on Fairfield Avenue to the Main Street & Fairfield Avenue Terminus.

Route #13 - Seaview Avenue/Pleasure Beach (seasonal/15 ft bus)

West Terminus - Stratford Avenue bridge at the L.I. ferry dock and Bpt. RR station - East on Stratford Avenue to Seaview Avenue - South on Seaview Avenue to the Pleasure Beach Park bridge - Cross the bridge to the entrance to the Pleasure Beach midway Terminus.

East Terminus - Pleasure Beach midway - Cross the bridge to Seaview Avenue & Central Avenue - North on Seaview Avenue to Stratford Avenue - West on Stratford Avenue to the Stratford Avenue bridge Terminus.

Route #14 - Norwalk

East Terminus - Main Street & Fairfield Avenue - West on Fairfield Avenue U.S. Route #1A - West on U.S. Route #1 to the Terminus on Wall Street Norwalk.

West Terminus - Wall Street Norwalk - East on U.S. Route #1 - East on U.S. Route #1A Fairfield Avenue to Main Street & Fairfield Terminus.

Route #15 - New Haven

West Terminus - Bpt. RR station - East on Stratford Avenue U.S. Route #1A to the New Haven City Line Terminus (University of New Haven)..

East Terminus - New Haven City Line Terminus (University of New Haven) - West on U.S. Route #1 to U.S. Route #1A Stratford Avenue to the Bpt. RR station Terminus.

Route "Special" - Trumbull Town Center (for Warren Harding HS students)

South Terminus - Central Avenue at Boston Avenue (Warren Harding HS) - North on Central Avenue to Boston Avenue (12:45 p.m. daily only) - West on Boston Avenue to Reservoir Avenue - North on Reservoir Avenue to Daniel's Farm Road Trumbull - North on Daniel's Farm Road to Conn. Route 127 and the Trumbull Town Center Terminus.

North Terminus - Trumbull Town Center - South on Daniel's Farm Road to Reservoir Avenue (7 a.m. daily only) - South on Reservoir Avenue to Boston Avenue - East on Boston Avenue to Central Avenue - South on Central Avenue to Ogden Street Extension (Warren Harding HS).

Route "Special" - Trumbull Town Center (for Central HS students)

South Terminus - Lyon Terrace at Congress Street (Central HS) - East on Congress Avenue to Main Street (12:45 p.m. daily only) - North on Main Street to Old Town Road - East on Old Town Road to Edison Road - North on Edison Road to the Trumbull Town Center Terminus.

North Terminus - Trumbull Town Center - South on Edison Road to Old Town Road (7 a.m. daily only) - West on Old Town Road to Main Street - South on Main Street to Congress Street - West on Congress Street to Lyon Terrace (Central HS).

GE-Seaside Park
 (Gray 15 ft buses/25 seats)
 Route

North Terminus - Stewart Street at Dover Street (GE Factory)

West on Stewart Street to Bond Street; South on Bond Street to Boston Avenue; South on Seaview Avenue (Ogden Street Extension is Harding HS bus stop) to Grant Street; West on Grant Street to Remington Arms storage bunkers (drained Pembroke Lake); West on Arctic Street to Kossuth Street; South on Kossuth Street to Stratford Avenue; West on Stratford Avenue to Water Street; South on Water Street to John Street; West on John Street to Park Avenue; West on Fairfield Avenue to Iranistan Avenue; South on Iranistan Avenue to Waldemere Avenue; enter Seaside Park to the shoreline road; follow the shoreline road to the bathing beach and bath house Terminus (Seaside Park).

South Terminus - Bath House (Seaside Park)

East on Shore Line Road to the cross-over to Waldemere Avenue (Sikorsky Aircraft Factory); East on Waldemere Avenue to Iranistan Avenue; North on Iranistan Avenue to Fairfield Avenue; East on Fairfield Avenue to Stilman Avenue; East on State Street to Water Street; North on Water Street to Bpt Bus Terminal; East on Stratford Avenue to Kossuth Street; North on Kossuth Street to Arctic Street; East on Arctic Street to Remington Arms; East on Grant Street to Seaview Avenue; North on Seaview Avenue to Boston Avenue; North on Bond Street to Stewart Street; East on Stewart Street to the Terminus at Dover Street (GE Factory).