“Betsy” (1931)

Bus 1263 was part of Fifth Avenue Coach’s “1200 series”- 100 Yellow Coach “Z-type” buses manufactured in 1930. This series consisted of two slightly different chassis models, 602 and 632. There were three body style designs: open-top (40 buses), semi-enclosed (four buses), and fully-enclosed top (56 buses). Bus No.1263 was one of the 52 enclosed model 602’s in the order. Fifth Avenue’s 1200-series buses were among the last front-engine double-deck buses made by Yellow Coach. In 1936, the company introduced a new rear-engine, more streamlined design. Bus No. 1263 remained in Manhattan passenger service until 1947 and the Fifth Avenue Coach phased out all double decker operations in 1953. Today, Bus 1263 is the oldest bus in our vintage fleet.

Bus #2969 (1948)

Bus Number 2969 (1948), one of the first 40-foot transit buses, was designed specifically for New York City.  It features a double-width front door to expedite passenger loading and unloading. Known as the “Jackie Gleason Bus,” it was originally bus 4789, but was renumbered to match the bus that the comedian was photographed in as Ralph Kramden in the classic television series “The Honeymooners.” 

Bus #3100 (1956)

Manufactured by General Motor Corporation, Bus 3100 was the first air-conditioned bus in the United States. Originally built as an experiment, this model TDH-5106 was purchased by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company about a year after its manufacture. It served Fifth Avenue and M4 & M5 routes in Manhattan between 1958 and 1968. Bus 3100 includes features first introduced in the 1950s, such as a push‑type rear exit door, wrap-around seating in the rear portion, soft seating, and fluorescent lighting.

Bus #9098 (1958)

Bus 9098 is a General Motors TDH-5106. This bus was the first model to sport a two-tone green exterior with a contrasting stripe and was also the first type of bus in New York City equipped with sliding windows, fiberglass seats, and rear door safety exits. This innovative system substituted two panel doors for the accordion-type rear doors and interfaced with the bus braking system. 

Bus #100 (1959)

Bus 100 was among the first group of 190 buses that introduced the “New Look” design to city buses featuring the large bubble-shaped windshield, single-piece destination sign, and parallelogram windows. Just over 20 years after this bus was introduced a new look, the boxier “Advanced Design” style was introduced. 

Bus #5227 (1971)

Bus 5227 entered service in 1971. In 1984-1985, 350 GM “New Look” buses from the NYC Transit fleet were sent to the Blitz Corporation of Chicago for complete overhaul and rebuilding. When they were returned to New York, renumbered in the 5000-series, they were known as “Blitz Buses.” The buses featured hard, blue lengthwise seating and were the last NYCT Transit bus model that was not equipped with a wheelchair lift. Bus 5227 was retired in 1995. 

Bus 3865 (1993)

Bus 3865  was originally delivered to Queens Surface Corporation for service on its routes out of what is now MTA Bus Company’s College Point Depot. In May 2000, Bus 3865 and 11 other TMC RTS buses were transferred to Jamaica Buses Inc., to replace the last of the 1980 Grumman Model 870s. Jamaica Buses was established in 1933, as a subsidiary of the company operating electric streetcars in Queens since the late 1890s. After more than 70 years of service, Jamaica Buses was taken over by MTA Bus. Company on June 30, 2006. Its depot was renamed Baisley Park Depot.