BC Transit bus 9753 has had a long, reliable and adventurous career. And after 25 years of service taking it throughout almost every part of the province, this New Flyer has now been donated to the Transit Museum Society of BC.
The New Flyer D40LF has been a mainstay of transit fleets throughout North America, and it was also a trailblazer. It was the first transit vehicle available in North America that eliminated the steps at the entry and exit. In 1992, BC Transit pioneered this “low-floor” technology as the first transit system in Canada to adopt this type of vehicle, paving the way for improved accessibility for all.
This spring, BC Transit donated bus 9753 to the Transit Museum Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of BC’s transit heritage.
“It’s a bus that’s got some neat history, and it’s really cool to have this one in our fleet. This coach is the newest in our fleet, with the previous youngest being from 1991,” said Chris Cassidy, Vice President of the Transit Museum Society. “BC Transit has always been a pioneer, and as a BC resident it’s a point of pride for me. From low floor buses to the first double deckers, they’ve always been ahead of the game with technology.”
The Society now has roughly a dozen buses in their fleet, which now spans almost 60 years, as the oldest was built in 1937. The society doesn’t have a physical space like traditional museums, but one of their buses from the 1950’s has been converted into a mobile museum. The TMS buses have been known to take part in community events like parades or car-free days.
“We like to bring public transit history to the people, that’s our goal.”
Bus 9753 is unique in that it is one of only a handful of buses that spent time in both Vancouver and Victoria. It ran in Vancouver until early 2014, when BC Transit acquired it along with 10 other vehicles from Coast Mountain Bus Company (Translink) to supplement the fleet in Victoria.
Beginning in 2015, these 10 buses left Victoria and became part of the contingency fleet, serving numerous other BC Transit systems. Bus 9753 remained in service the longest, returning back to Victoria in September 2019, where it remained in revenue service until the end of January 2021.
“The fact that this 25 year-old mild steel bus has travelled so far is a testament to the great quality of maintenance and inventory support provided over the buses life, both before and during its time with BC Transit,” said Bob Hall, Manager of Fleet Technical Services for BC Transit. “If it ‘takes a village’ to ensure our buses are safe, clean and reliable for our customers – then this bus has seen a full city during its service life in BC.”
9753 ran for 25 years before its retirement – no small feat, and a testament to the skill and hard work of maintenance staff. Over this time, the bus accumulated 1,195,572 kilometres and carried countless passengers in every corner of the province.
A few examples of this type of bus still remain in revenue service. The 9800-series is still operational in Victoria. When those vehicles are eventually retired, the chapter of the very first full-size, low-floor vehicles in Canada will draw to a close. BC Transit and TMS are proud to play their part in preserving this important piece of transit history, currently 29 years and counting.
BC Transit regularly donates retiring buses to organizations that use them for a variety of purposes. So far in 2021, we have donated buses to the Abbotsford Emergency Response Team, Abbotsford Fire Department and the Search and Rescue Dog Association of Victoria. Other donations are planned for Nanaimo Fire Rescue and Central Saanich Fire Department in the near future.
For more information on the Transit Museum Society of BC, visit:
https://transitmuseumsociety.org/
