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A Nova Bus RTS T8O206 operated by the MBTA.
A Nova Bus RTS T8O206 operated by the MBTA. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates a large number of Bus lines in the greater Boston area

The Rapid Transit Series (RTS) bus is a long-running series of transit buses originally manufactured by General Motors (the last generation of that company's long bus heritage) and is currently produced by Millennium Transit Services as the RTS Legend. GMC, formerly known as GMC Truck, is a Brand name used on Trucks Vans and SUVs marketed in North America and the Millennium Transit Services LLC is a bus manufacturer formed in 2003 to take over the former NovaBUS manufacturing plant in Roswell New Mexico. 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. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The United States Department of Transportation ( DOT) is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with Transportation The RTS is notable for its futuristic (at the time) styling featuring automobile-like curved body and window panels. That design has become as 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. The GMC New Look Transit Coach series (nicknamed "Fishbowl" for its six-piece rounded windshield was introduced Most current buses are now made by specialized coach manufacturers with flat sides and windows.

GMC sold the RTS design and patent rights to Transportation Manufacturing Corporation (TMC) of Roswell, New Mexico, in May 1987 though the two companies did a joint order for the New York City Transit Authority to prepare TMC for the production. Transportation Manufacturing Corporation (TMC was a bus manufacturer based in Roswell New Mexico. Roswell is a city in and the County seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA is a Public authority in the U TMC would sell the design and patents to NovaBus in September 1994 in the midst of an order for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Nova Bus is a Bus manufacturing company based in Saint-Eustache Quebec, Canada. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA) is "a body politic and corporate and a political subdivision" of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Production under NovaBus would continue until 2002 when NovaBus left the U. S. market.

The production was revived, however, by Millennium Transit Services as the RTS Legend. Millennium Transit Services LLC is a bus manufacturer formed in 2003 to take over the former NovaBUS manufacturing plant in Roswell New Mexico. Millennium Transit Services has since released three additional variants of the RTS:

The RTS was offered in 30-, 35-, and 40-foot-long models and was built using a modular design that allowed the same parts to be used for all three lengths, the longest of which could seat up to 47 passengers. It was originally powered by either 6 or 8 cylinder versions of Detroit Diesel's venerable Series 71 two stroke diesel engine channeled through an Allison V730 or Voith/ZF transmission. Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC is a Diesel engine producer headquartered in Redford Michigan, USA. The Detroit Diesel Series 71 is a Two-stroke cycle Diesel engine series available in both inline (the company's initial available engine configuration The Allison V730 transmission is a three-speed Automatic transmission used in several makes of transit bus including the RTS Canadian-produced GM New Looks The Voith AG which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations ZF Friedrichshafen AG is a leading worldwide supplier of driveline and Chassis technology

Contents

History

Pre-production

The RTS is the descendant of GMC's entry for the Transbus project which in turn was the descendant of the RTX, an experimental model for which a prototype produced in 1969 with notes of its production dating to early as 1964. Both the RTX and the Transbus were similar in terms of design to the RTS though had major differences in having a less-rounded body design, a one-step entryway, and (in the case of the Transbus) a 45-foot length.

Wanting a backup plan in the case that the Transbus project was abandoned, GMC decided to modify the RTX/Transbus design and in 1970 began the project that became the earliest RTS with the first prototype being assembled in 1973 at which point the project went onto hiatus[1]. Though closer to its predecessors than the production models, the RTS name debuted with this prototype. After the project was revived in 1974, GMC would later withdraw from the Transbus project and focus their energies on the RTS.

Front of a Community Transit RTS
Front of a Community Transit RTS
Rear view of a Community Transit RTS-06 bus
Rear view of a Community Transit RTS-06 bus

Evolution

Through the history of the RTS, there have been six generations of production plus two experimental variants (one of which not having made it beyond the prototype stage). Community Transit is the main Public transit authority of Snohomish County Washington (with the exception of the City of Everett, which operates its own Community Transit is the main Public transit authority of Snohomish County Washington (with the exception of the City of Everett, which operates its own

Timeline of options

Foreign usage of RTS

Canada

At the time the RTS entered production in the U. S. , GMDD (GMC's Canadian production arm) considered producing the RTS for the Canadian market. General Motors Diesel Division was once a unit of General Motors and manufactured products like Locomotives, Transit buses and Military products However, an outcry of protest from key transit providers over not wanting the "futuristic" RTS led GMDD to produce the Classic, an updated New Look that was first produced in 1983. The Classic was a modern design of the popular GM New Look transit coach

When the Classic was retired in 1996, NovaBus decided to begin limited production of the RTS for Canadian authority. Produced from 1997 to 2001, most of the RTS models made for Canadian authorities (Toronto Transit Commission) were of the RTS-06 WFD variant with the majority being sold to agencies in the eastern part of the country. The Toronto Transit Commission ( TTC) is a Public transport authority that operates Buses streetcars, subways and Rapid transit

Elsewhere

Contrary to belief, the RTS design is and was not manufactured under license in other parts of the world.

Some confusion exists with certain models of Daewoo Bus's buses (BH115 and BH115E) in Asia, whose external styling closely resembles that of the RTS. Daewoo Bus Corporation is a manufacturer of Buses heaquartered in Busan, South Korea. However, their structure is completely different from the RTS's modular assembly and the two share no mechanical commonality.

Collectibles

After retirement

Eventually, the GMC RTS will be retired from regular mass transit services, either due to the condition of the vehicle, or changes in laws such as ADA rules regarding wheelchair lifts. Once retired, it is quite common for them to be bought for smaller commercial uses, or by individuals.

There is a good market for running buses in Central and South America, where purchasing a new bus is beyond their budget, but a good running, yet not quite as attractive bus is exactly what they need.

Some are converted into luxury limousines and party buses. A limousine (or limo) is a longer than normal Luxury car. The chassis may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coach builder traditionally A party bus (also known as a Party Ride, limo bus, limousine bus or luxury bus) is a large motor vehicle designed to carry 10 or more people

In what has become a growing past time is for individuals to buy them to convert into motorhomes. In North American English the term recreational vehicle, and its acronym RV, are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of equipment dually used as both With the largest GMC RTS being 40' long and 102" wide, this makes it the largest vehicle which can be used on the highway without special permits, or other considerations. Federal DOT guidelines limit the width of a vehicle to 102 inches without the need for special permits. Many campgrounds do not allow RV's over 40 feet long. Many states do not allow an overall length greater than 60 feet, and when towing a regular vehicle (commonly referred to as "Toad"), it becomes pretty easy to exceed that length.

In both the commercial and private use, some have been lengthened or shortened to suit the needs. A shuttle or limo may be better at 25'. It is possible, but less practical, to extend an RTS to 45 or 50 feet. The construction of a GMC RTS is an assembly of 5 foot long sections, which were welded together at the factory. A talented shop can add or remove individual sections in the middle. As these vehicles can easily weigh over 30,000 pounds, the sections must be carefully supported during the renovation, to avoid the risk of collapse.

See also

External links

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