NILES CENTER BUS CO.

Began operations in 1921, based in the suburb of Niles Center, which in 1940 was renamed Skokie. The Niles Center Bus Co. was sold to the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad in 1923, and sold to the Evanston & Niles Center Bus Co. in 1929. In 1930 the Evanston & Niles Center Bus Co. absorbed the original Evanston Bus Co., and in 1937 merged with the Evanston Railway Co. in 1937 to become the new Evanston Bus Co.

Niles Center Bus Co. introduced four bus routes between 1921 and 1929, none of which survived long into the Evanston Bus Co. era. The first three routes introduced between 1921 and 1925, connected with the Ravenswood (now Brown) elevated line. One route operated from the Western Ave. stop to Morton Grove, mainly via Lincoln Ave. Another route connected with the first route at Devon Ave./Lincoln Ave., operating via McCormick Ave. and Church St. to the Davis St. stop in Evanston. And a third route operated from the Kimball terminal via Lawrence, Elston, and Central, ending at the Oakton station on the North Shore Line, in Niles Center (now Skokie). A fourth route, introduced in 1929, operated on Howard St. between McCormick Blvd. and Lincoln Ave.

In 1930, Chicago Surface Lines introduced a trolleybus extension route on Elston, cutting into ridership and resulting in discontinuance of the bus route from Kimball later that year. And in 1930, Chicago Surface Lines extended its Lincoln Ave. streetcar route, cutting into ridership of the Western Ave. to Morton Grove bus route. And in 1931, bus service was discontinued between Western Ave. and Niles Center (now Skokie). Also in 1931, service was discontinued on McCormick Blvd. between Devon Ave. and Church St.

Service on Howard was discontinued, but later became part of Evanston Bus Co. route #10, now Pace route #215. And service on Church later became part of Evanston Bus Co, route #6, later route #8, eventually Pace route #212. Route #212 would be discontinued effective 3/5/2005 as part of a major restructuring of north suburban Pace routes. Route #212 would then be redundant to route #208 and recently expanded CTA route #205.

Service on Lincoln Ave. was later revived in the late 1930's by Suburban Transit System, sold in 1944 to American Coach Co., and sold in 1959 to United Motor Coach Co. Route is now Pace route #210.