The company was incorporated in 1933 by Harry Zoltok as Fort Garry Motor Body and Paint Works Limited, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[1] In 1948, Greyhound Lines of Canada, at that time MCI's major customer, became a majority shareholder when it purchased 65 percent of the company. MCI was purchased outright by Greyhound Lines in 1958. In 1963 a new plant was opened in Pembina, North Dakota, to increase capacity as MCI began to expand into the U.S. market, while Greyhound widened its operations and switched increasingly from GMC to its own in-house products. In 1974 another plant was opened in Roswell, New Mexico, under the title Transportation Manufacturing Corporation (TMC).[citation needed]
In December 1986, Greyhound was split, with Greyhound Lines being sold to an investor group, and Greyhound Lines of Canada, MCI and TMC remaining part of The Greyhound Corporation, which was renamed Dial, Inc. in 1991.
In 1987, Greyhound Corporation bought the transit bus manufacturing operations of General Motors Diesel Division (GMC), which was based in Canada. (GM phased out intercity and transit bus construction at the large GMC Coach and Truck plant in Pontiac, Michigan, shifting medium duty school bus chassis production to Janesville, Wisconsin.)[citation needed]
MCI also took over production of GM's RTS model, transferring production to TMC. MCI also purchased the GM bus assembly plant in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, which then produced GM's Canadian transit bus model, the Classic. TMC ceased production of the older MCI vehicles in 1990 to concentrate on manufacturing the RTS, and on the A-Series intercity coaches.[citation needed]
In 1993 MCI became an independent corporation, Motor Coach Industries International Inc.[citation needed]
1994 acquisition
In 1994, MCI stocks were purchased by Mexican DINA S.A.,[2][3] which had a long history of bus building and developed their HTQ proprietary technology[4][5][6] (valued at 70 million dollars)[7] that culminated with the creation of the Viaggio Confort Bus Line. MCI reproduced its Viaggio 1000 DOT for sale to the United States and Canada, and in late 1999/2000 the G4100, G4500 and F3500 models were released to the United States and to the Canadian markets. Production of the G4500 later moved to Winnipeg, after the G4100 was discontinued. Poor reliability of the G4500 resulted in very low sales after Greyhound Lines filed a lawsuit against MCI over the various issues with the bus. Greyhound took delivery of very few Winnipeg-built G4500s; these were later retired and sold. Related to a major contract cancellation[8] by Western Star,[9] DINA S.A. sold a great portion of its previously acquired MCI shares to Joseph Littlejohn & Levy.[10]
In 1994 TMC, including production rights for the RTS, was sold to NovaBus. In 1997 MCI purchased the rights from the bankrupt Flxible to produce the Flxible Metro and all related parts for it. After a period of waning product demand, increased competition and lay-offs in the early 2000s, production at MCI plants in Winnipeg and Pembina increased in 2006, and 130 employees were added.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, MCI consolidated its operations, the Winnipeg site was expanded and modernized. DINA S.A. purchased North American Symix[11] and opened an assembly plant[7] in Buenos Aires, Argentina[12] and the DIMEX[13] and DINAIR companies.[14] A new coach finishing and paint facility and customer delivery centre were constructed on the site. At the same time, a seven-year contract was signed with the IAM union local. This agreement contained cost improvements and production operations flexibility to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the manufacturing and assembly operations.
The buses, especially the older MC-8 and workhorse MC-9 models of the 1980s, became the standard for interstate travel for many bus companies. Those particular buses featured metal frames and roof supports, metal panels on the sides and were extremely durable and reliable. Many of the buses, having survived millions of miles of commercial use, had a second career serving churches or other organizations, while the MCI/TMC coaches were popular "conversion shells", used for motorhomes.
2008 bankruptcy
Motor Coach Industries Inc. announced on September 15, 2008, the company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring the company said would "help shed hundreds of millions of dollars of debt".[15]
On April 17, 2009, Motor Coach Industries Inc. emerged from its voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization. MCI and its subsidiaries became wholly owned by KPS Capital Partners, LP. KPS Capital Partners, LP is the Manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of private equity limited partnerships with over $2.6billion of committed capital focused on constructive investing in restructurings, turnarounds, and other special situations.[16][17]
Partnership with Daimler AG
Motor Coach Industries announced on April 25, 2012, that it had reached a deal with German vehicle manufacturer Daimler AG to distribute its Setra brand of motorcoaches for the North American market. The agreement came as Daimler reconfigured its commercial bus operations in North America, also selling off its Orion brand of transit buses to New Flyer Industries.
Under the agreement, Setra would build its S407 and S417 motorcoaches in Germany and ship them to North America, where MCI would sell and service the coaches using its existing dealer network. In exchange, Daimler would purchase a 10 percent share in Motor Coach Industries.
The relationship between competitors was less than ideal. Daimler complained that MCI focused on its own motorcoaches, and did not allow for sufficient attention to the Setra brand.[18]
The deal came to an end on January 4, 2018, with Daimler signing a new distribution rights agreement with REV Group, a U.S.-based specialty vehicle manufacturer. Sales of new motorcoaches transferred immediately, followed by the service agreement in mid-2018.[19]
2015 acquisition
On November 10, 2015, it was announced that Canadian bus manufacturer New Flyer Industries had agreed to acquire Motor Coach Industries, Inc. for C$604 million (approximately US$459 million). The deal closed in December 2015.[20]
In late 2022, the factory in Pembina, North Dakota was planned to be shut down;[21] this decision was later reversed, and the facility has since remained open.[22] The U.S. assembly line was moved to the NFI group facility in Crookston, Minnesota.[23]
Operating subsidiaries
Motor Coach Industries, Ltd. – Canadian manufacturing facility, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba
MCI Sales and Service, Inc. – U.S. new and used coach sales division
MCI Service Parts – aftermarket parts sales division of the company, based in Des Plaines, Illinois, with its distribution center located in Louisville, Kentucky, with close access to the international UPS distribution center
MCI Financial Services – coach financing division, based in Dallas, Texas
Models
After the Courier and MC model name schemes, MCI adopted an alphanumerical system for naming the different series of coaches. Two different systems have been used:
CL = "classic" styling CT = "contemporary" styling CNG = compressed natural gas fueled H = hybrid-electric ISTV = inmate security transportation vehicle N = 96-inch (2.4m) narrow body CRT = NextGen Commuter Coach CRT LE = NextGen Commuter Coach with low floor section for wheelchairs CHARGE = battery-electric
1985–2001
Width
Series
Options
Axles
Body option
096 = 96 inches (2.4m) 102 = 102 inches (2.6m)
A
W = wheelchair lift-equipped
2 3
—
B
—
SS = stainless steel
C
D
L = 45ft 7in (13.89m) length W = wheelchair lift-equipped
E
L = 45ft 7in (13.89m) length
—
For Example, a wheelchair-lift equipped, 45-foot, diesel powered, D-Series with fluted stainless steel sides from 1997 would be designated a 102-DLW3SS. A 45-foot, battery-electric powered J-Series from 2020 would be designated a J4500 CHARGE. Not all possible combinations of models, lengths, and powertrains are made.
Current
Motor Coach Industries currently produces two different product lines. All current models are 102 inches (2.59m) wide, exclusive of mirrors.
A coach is a type of bus built for longer-distance service, in contrast to transit buses that are typically used within a single metropolitan region. Often used for touring, intercity, and international bus service, coaches are also used for private charter for various purposes. Coaches are also related and fall under a specific category/type of RVs.
Setra is a German bus brand of EvoBus GmbH, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG.
Nova Bus is a Canadian transit bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group.
Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC began as a local British Columbia bus line in the early 1920s, expanded across most of Canada, and became a subsidiary of the US Greyhound in 1940.
NFI Group Inc. is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company employs 8,000 people across 50 facilities in nine countries. NFI Group owns Alexander Dennis, ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, Motor Coach Industries, New Flyer, Plaxton, NFI Parts, and Carfair Composites. The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI, and is a constituent of the S&P/TSX Composite Index.
Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation (TMC) was a bus manufacturer based in Roswell, New Mexico.
DINA is a Mexican bus and truck manufacturer based in Ciudad Sahagún, Hidalgo, Mexico. It was created by the federal government of Mexico in 1951 as Diesel Nacional, S.A., and is currently owned by Grupo Empresarial G and its subsidiaries. The company has gone through several stages of production of freight and bus models throughout its history, thanks to technological and commercial agreements and partnerships with various companies such as Fiat, Renault, Marcopolo S.A., Flxible, Cummins, Perkins, Chrysler, Caterpillar, Scania, MCI, Škoda, Spicer, Eaton and Dana. Today its primary production is buses for urban, domestic and foreign use. They have developed their truck technology with a subsidiary of BMW.
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 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.
Daimler Buses GmbH, formerly EvoBus GmbH, is a German bus and coach manufacturer headquartered in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany and a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck. Its products go to market under the brands Mercedes-Benz and Setra.
The Rapid Transit Series (RTS) city bus is a long-running series of transit buses that was originally manufactured by GMC Truck and Coach Division during 1977, in Pontiac, Michigan. First produced in 1977, the RTS was GMC's offering of an Advanced Design Bus design (the other entry was the Grumman 870 by competitor Flxible) and is the descendant of GMC's prototype for 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; the Advanced Design Buses were meant to be an interim solution between the high-floor transit buses that preceded them, such as the GMC New Look (which had a curved windshield, but flat side glass and body panels), and modern low-floor buses that would facilitate passenger boarding and accessibility. Most current buses are now made by specialized coach manufacturers with flat sides and windows.
The Orion I was a line of rigid high-floor transit buses made in 30-, 35-, and 40-foot lengths by Ontario Bus & Truck between 1976 and 1993 for the Canadian and United States mass transportation markets. The Orion I was the first bus offered by OBI and was available in transit (2-door) and coach/suburban (1-door) models. It was replaced by the rigid Orion V and low-floor Orion VI.
The GM "Buffalo" bus is a colloquial term referring to 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 resembling some types of theater seating.
Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services is an intercity bus service operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency of the government of Ontario, Canada. Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services operates passenger and parcel transportation service in northern Ontario, with additional routes connecting northern Ontario to the Greater Toronto Area, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.
Bus companies in Ontario range in scale from small family-run businesses to subsidiaries of large international transportation groups. Many operate yellow school buses for student transportation on behalf of local school boards, while others concentrate on luxury coach charters and tours. Some municipalities use these private companies to run their public transit systems.
Daimler Truck North America LLC is an automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and LLC of the German multinational Daimler Truck AG.
~Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd., is a Chinese automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Hefei, Anhui, which specialises in the production of buses and coaches. Ankai's products include urban buses, regular coaches, sleeping berth coaches, bus and coach chassis and automotive components. Ankai also offers related repair and maintenance services. The company has three principal subsidiaries and distributes its products worldwide.
The MCI D-Series is a model of motorcoach bus produced by Motor Coach Industries (MCI). The bus is primarily used by private companies operating scheduled service or commuter buses, government agencies for the transport of prisoners, and in more recent years, public transit agencies who use them on express routes. It is sold alongside the MCI J-Series bus, primarily used by tour and charter operators.
The MCI J-Series is a model of motorcoach bus produced by Motor Coach Industries (MCI). The bus is primarily used by tour and charter bus operators. It is sold alongside the MCI D-Series bus, primarily used by intercity bus services and public transit operators.
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