The Allison V730 is a three-speed automatic transmission used in several makes of transit bus including the RTS, Canadian-produced GM New Looks, and Grumman Flxibles. Later production buses in the GM and Flxible line had the Allison V731 transmission, which is essentially the same unit but controlled electronically, with a keypad replacing the familiar shifter-lever in the driver's compartment.
The Allison V730/V731 family transmissions moreover come in versions with a built-in retarder (the VR731), and a version allowing transit agencies and others to use right-turning Detroit Diesel family motors (variously the V731R or V731RH) instead of the standard left-turning units found in Flxibles, GM New Looks and RTS equipment.
Most installations of the V730/V731 have them coupled to the DDA 6V92TA two-stroke diesel engine, with the exception of GM 'New Look' T6H-5307 buses produced in Canada, where these were instead mated to the then-standard 6V71N engine. Some Canadian production 1982 "New Look" models featured the 6V92 mated to the V730, such as Vancouver, B.C.'s 1982 T6H-5307 "Hillclimber" buses. An example resides at "TRAMS" in British Columbia.
The Flxible Co. was an American manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars, funeral cars, ambulances, intercity coaches and transit buses, based in the U.S. state of Ohio. It was founded in 1913 and closed in 1996. The company's production transitioned from highway coaches and other products to transit buses over the period 1953–1970, and during the years that followed, Flxible was one of the largest transit-bus manufacturers in North America.
The Neoplan Transliner was a series of related public transport single-decker bus models introduced by Neoplan USA in 1981. It was able to compete with the Rapid Transit Series, Flxible Metro, Gillig Phantom and the Orion I in the early 1980s.
Nova Bus is a bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. Nova is owned by Volvo Buses.
The Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company was an early manufacturer of passenger buses in the United States. Between 1923 and 1943, Yellow Coach built transit buses, electric-powered trolley buses, and parlor coaches.
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the public transportation provider for Memphis, Tennessee. It is the largest transit agency in Tennessee, operating 42 bus routes, the MATA Trolley system, and other transit services. The system is managed by a seven-member policy board appointed by the mayor and approved by the Memphis City Council.
The Transit Museum Society of British Columbia (TRAMS) is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of decommissioned transit vehicles in Vancouver and the adjoining areas. Based in Burnaby, TRAMS currently has a fleet of thirteen operational vehicles and two non-operational. These vehicles were previously in use by both public and private operating companies between 1937 and 2010.
The TTC GM New Look bus has been the work horse of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus fleet. First purchased from General Motors in 1959 and the last one acquired in 1983, they remain in the current non-active fleet. These buses were the longest-serving buses in the TTC fleet, with the last one retiring in 2011.
Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. defense vehicles, as well as a supplier of commercial vehicle propulsion solutions, including electric hybrid and fully electric propulsion systems. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway trucks, buses, motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment and defense vehicles. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,500 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide.
The Eagle was a make of motor coach with a long and interesting history. During a period of over four decades, some 8,000 Eagle coaches were built in four countries on two continents. The coaches were a common sight on American highways and were strongly associated with Continental Trailways for over three decades.
The GM New Look bus, also commonly known by the nickname "Fishbowl", is a transit bus introduced in 1958 by the Truck and Coach Division of General Motors and produced until 1977 in the US, and until 1985 in Canada. More than 44,000 New Look buses were built. Its high production figures and long service career made it an iconic North American transit bus. The design is listed as U.S. Patent D182,998 by Roland E. Gegoux and William P. Strong.
The Classic was a single-deck bus developed by General Motors Diesel from its previous-generation New Look design. The "Classic" was nearly identical to the New Look from the belt rail up, but sported a new front which allowed for a wider front door. The design was originally intended solely for the Canadian market as an alternative to the unpopular Rapid Transit Series (RTS) but ultimately the Classic, produced from 1982 to 1997, met with widespread success in both Canada and the United States. It was available primarily as a 40-foot (12.19 m) long, 102-inch (2.59 m) wide coach, although 16 60-foot (18.29 m) long articulated Classics were manufactured. The design was fairly conservative, yet contemporary and less controversial than the RTS.
The NYC Transit Department of Buses, subsidiary Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, and the Metropolitan Suburban Transportation Authority, now under MTA Regional Bus Operations, have provided bus service in Greater New York since the 1950s, utilizing mostly buses from General Motors and Flxible through the 1980s, and later on the Rapid Transit Series design, and buses from Gillig and Orion. The fleet of buses which has been employed and is no longer on the active roster is listed below.
The Rapid Transit Series (RTS) city bus is a long-running series of transit buses originally manufactured by GMC Truck and Coach Division during 1977, in Pontiac, Michigan. First produced in 1977, the RTS was GMC's entry into the Advanced Design Bus project and is the descendant of GMC's entry in the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Transbus" project. The RTS is notable for its then futuristic styling featuring automobile-like curved body and window panels. That design has become a classic, though remains more contemporary as that of its predecessor, the GMC New Look which had a curved windshield, but flat side glass and body panels. Most current buses are now made by specialized coach manufacturers with flat sides and windows.
The GM "old-look" transit bus is a transit bus that was introduced in 1940 by Yellow Coach beginning with the production of the model TG-3201 bus. Yellow Coach was an early bus builder that was partially owned by General Motors (GM) before being purchased outright in 1943 and folded into the GM Truck Division to form the GM Truck & Coach Division. The Yellow Coach badge gave way to the GM nameplate in 1944. Production of most "old-look" models was stopped upon the release of the GM New-Look bus in 1959, however some smaller "old-look" models continued to be built until 1969. Approximately 38,000 "old-look" buses were built during the 29-year production run. The "old-look" name is an unofficial retronym applied to this series of GM buses after the release of the GM New-Look series.
The Gillig Phantom is a series of buses that was produced by American manufacturer Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California. The successor to the long-running Gillig Transit Coach model line, the Phantom marked the transition of Gillig from a producer of yellow school buses to that of transit buses. The first transit bus assembled entirely by Gillig, the Phantom was produced exclusively as a high-floor bus.
GM Buffalo bus is the slang term for several models of intercity motorcoaches built by the GM Truck and Coach Division at Pontiac, Michigan, between 1966 and 1980. "Buffalo" coaches have a stepped roof in front, and the first three rows of seats are at different levels, mounted on stepped floors similar to some theatre seating.
The Flxible New Look bus was a very popular transit bus introduced in 1959 by The Flxible Company, and produced from 1960 until 1978, when the New Look was replaced by the "870" Advanced Design Bus. Over its 17-year production run 13,121 Flxible New Look buses were manufactured.
The Gillig Low Floor is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation. The second low-floor bus introduced in the United States, the Low Floor has been produced since 1997. Originally produced alongside the Gillig Phantom as an expansion of the transit product range, the Low Floor has become the successor to the Phantom and the sole Gillig bus platform since 2008.
The Crown-Ikarus 286 is a type of transit bus that was manufactured for the U.S. market from 1980 until 1986, under a joint venture between the Ikarus Body and Coach Works (Ikarus), of Budapest, Hungary, and Crown Coach Corporation from Los Angeles, California in the United States. Loosely based on the Ikarus 280, the Crown-Ikarus 286 is a high-floor articulated bus.
The Flyer New Look bus, originally released as the Western Flyer D700 in 1967 for the Canadian transit market, was built in three distinct generations until 1988, when the New Flyer D900 was discontinued. The D700 was the first transit bus released by Western Flyer, which had only manufactured suburban over-the-road coaches until then; the D700 closely resembled the contemporaneous popular GM New Look bus, including the multi-pane "fishbowl" style windshield. The D700 was subsequently licensed to AM General in 1970 for sales to American transit operators; AM General modified the exterior design and sold it as the AM General Metropolitan starting in 1974. Flyer later adopted the exterior changes made by AM General and sold the bus as the D800; the D900 was the second and final facelift of the design, and is distinguished by the simpler windshield. Versions of each generation, including the AM General variant, were also available in electric trolleybus form.
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