The MTA Bus fleet is certainly a dynamic one, with its ever-shrinking fleet of old, outdated buses as well as its new, rapidly-expanding fleet of modern clean-air vehicles. To keep track of the complex MTA Bus system, I've compiled a bus roster that hopefully can provide detailed information about all the transit vehicles that have ever operated for MTA Bus.
I'd like to keep this list as complete as possible for the benefit of this site's viewers as well as the transitfan community as a whole. If you have any additions, corrections or modifications, feel free to contact me.
I've used a few rather widely-accepted abbreviations in the roster to refer to certain fleets' original operators. In case you're not familiar with them, please refer to the list below:
- CBC: Command Bus Company
- GBL: Green Bus Lines
- JBI: Jamaica Buses, Inc.
- LLE: Liberty Lines Express
- MTAB: MTA Bus Company
- NYBS: New York Bus Service
- NYCT: MTA New York City Transit
- QSC: Queens Surface Corp.
- TCC: Triboro Coach Corp.
| Year | Family | Model | MTAB Numbers | Original Operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | GMC New Look | T8H5308A | 7286-7310 (never recieved MTAB numbering) | NYBS | None of these buses survived the MTA Bus takeover. 1502 was preserved as part of the museum fleet. |
| 1984 | GMC Classic | TC40102N | (never received MTAB numbering) | NYBS | None of these buses survived the MTA Bus takeover. These buses did not feature air-conditioning (the TC40102N designation.) |
| 1984 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 1837 | GBL (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1984 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 1856 | TCC (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 1110-1136 | JBI | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 1191 | JBI (originally TCC) | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 1838-1840 | GBL (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 1848-1850, 1857-1858 | TCC (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 4220-4265 | GBL | 4220 would have been GBL #10001, the 10,001st RTS-04 ever produced. This bus was not renumbered and was preserved as part of the museum fleet. Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J204 | 7050-7094 | TCC | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J604 | 318-328 | CBC | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J604 | 1197-1199 | JBI (originally CBC) | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J604 | 4266-4268, 4270-4276, 4278-4283, 4297 | GBL (originally CBC) | Retired. |
| 1985 | GMC RTS-04 | T8J604 | 4277, 5835-5857 | GBL | Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 1137-1153 | JBI | Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 1200 | JBI (originally TCC) | Originally TCC #M3, this bus was a methanol pilot bus that was eventually converted to diesel. Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 1841-1842 | GBL (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 1851 | TCC (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 5858-5879, 8582 | GBL (some originally JBI, TCC) | 5878 and 5879 were originally TCC #M6 and #M5 respectively. Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 7095-7121 | TCC | Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J606 | 1154-1163 | JBI (originally CBC) | Retired. |
| 1986 | GMC RTS-06 | T8J606 | 4269, 4284-4296, 4298-4299 | GBL (originally CBC) | Retired. |
| 1987 | TMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 1843-1847 | GBL (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1987 | TMC RTS-06 | T8J206 | 1852-1855 | TCC (originally NYCT) | Retired. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 329-379 | CBC | Retired. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 1164-1171 | JBI | Retired. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 5880-5893 | GBL | Retired. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 7122-7147 (never received MTAB numbering) | TCC | None of these buses survived the MTA Bus takeover. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 7314-7406 | NYBS | Retired. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 7820-7895 | LLE (7895 originally QSC) | Retired. |
| 1988 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 9796-9826 | QSC (some originally LLE) | Retired. |
| 1989 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 7407-7422 | NYBS (some ex-GBL, TCC) | Retired. |
| 1989 | MCI Classic | TC40102A | 7896-7905 | LLE | Retired. |
| 1990 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 8000+ (sporadic; retained NYCT numbering) | NYCT | Some of these buses have had their original flipdot signs replaced with secondhand rollsigns or flipdots from retired buses. |
| 1990 | TMC RTS-06 CNG | T80206 | 752-753 (never received MTAB numbering) | CBC | Originally CNG demo buses for MTA New York City Transit. These buses never received MTAB numbers and were scrapped immediately following the takeover. |
| 1993 | Orion V | 05.501 | 101+ (sporadic; retained NYCT numbering) | NYCT | |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 1172-1190 | JBI | |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 5898-5919 | GBL (some originally QSC) | |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 5988-5999 | JBI (originally QSC) | |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 CNG | T80206 | 7150-7173 | TCC | Retired. |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 7174-7213 | TCC | |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 9700-9795 | QSC | |
| 1993 | TMC RTS-06 CNG | T80206 | 681-707 | CBC | Retired. |
| 1994 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 1192-1196 | JBI (originally GBL) | |
| 1994 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 5920-5937 | GBL | |
| 1994 | TMC RTS-06 | T80206 | 7148-7149 | TCC (originally GBL) | |
| 1994 | TMC RTS-06 CNG | T80206 | 754 | CBC | Ex-NYCT CNG demo bus. This bus was originally not meant to be a part of the MTA Bus fleet, but it was brought back from the dead when needed. It has since been retired. |
| 1996 | NovaBUS RTS-06 | T80206 | 9296-9300 (???) (retained NYCT numbering) | NYCT | In late 2004, several suburban NYCT NovaBUS RTS-06 buses were loaned to MTA Bus for use on the ex-LLE Bronx express routes before the arrival of the 2005 D4500CLs. They have since been returned to NYCT. |
| 1997 | Orion V | 05.501 | 5938-5987 | GBL (some originally QSC) | |
| 1998 | Orion V CNG | 05.501 | 681-707 | CBC | |
| 1998 | Orion V CNG | 05.501 | 7214-7273 | TCC | |
| 1998 | Orion V CNG | 05.501 | 8568-8581, 9932-9999 | QSC | |
| 1999 | New Flyer D60HF | D60HF | 5347-5351 (retained NYCT numbering) | NYCT | These five buses were transferred from NYCT to MTAB Baisley Park in order to evaluate articulated buses on the Q113 route. |
| 1999 | Orion V | 05.501 | 5894-5897 | GBL (originally NYBS) | |
| 1999 | Orion V CNG | 05.501 | 7274-7285 | TCC | |
| 1999 | Orion V CNG | 05.501 | 9827-9931 | QSC | |
| 2002 | MCI Cruiser | D4500 | 7423-7428 | NYBS | These buses are virtually identical to the 2005 MCI Cruisers, save aesthetic differences such as seats and rear lights. Under NYBS, these buses did not feature rear route signs; however, these were added upon transfer to MTAB. |
| 2005+ | MCI Cruiser | D4500CL | 3000-3499(?) | original to MTAB | These buses provide the majority of service on MTAB's express routes; suburban Orion V CNGs cover the rest. |
| 2006 | Orion VII HEV | 07.501 | 3500+ | original to MTAB | These buses, along with the "Next Generation" Orion VIIs, will form the backbone of the local fleet as the older RTSs are retired. |
| 2007 | Orion VII Next Generation HEV | 07.501 | 1292A, 1294A, 1295 | original to MTAB | Demonstrator "Next Generation" Orion VIIs. 1292A is a standard demo from Orion; 1294A is built to Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) specifications; and 1295 is built to MTAB specifications. These buses have been since returned to Orion. |
