1964-1982

Almost 13 years after the Boston Street Railway became a distant memory, the MTA gave way to the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority). The MBTA was interested in purchasing those rail and bus agencies that were failing, thanks to the decline of the street car and the advent of less-intrusive transit, such as trackless trolleys and buses. The MBTA began with its purchase of the Eastern Mass Railways in 1968; then in 1972 many other agencies came under the MBTA banner - but none as prolific as the Middlesex and Boston, which operated for almost 80 years.

Within 18 years, the MBTA had renewed its fleet, from the older, decaying and rusting buses to fresh, state-of-the-art vehicles. A quick estimate reveals that in this 18 year period, the MBTA purchased over 1000 buses. The last of these buses in this period were retired in 1995 to make way for new RTS buses.

Fleet #	Model #	Year
6000-6219	TDH 5303	1966
6300-6329	TDH 4519	1967
6500-6579	TDH 4519	1966
6685-6689	TDH 4519A	1967
6691-6692	TDH 4521A	1969
7500-7529	TDH 4521A	1970

A full description of these buses, along with an all time roster list, has been moved to the All Time Flxible Roster.

The 7900 series buses were used for the 590-599 ("community loop") routes. The unique feature of these buses is that unlike the fixed-route buses, the community loop buses could be hailed anywhere. And, at 25 feet long, the TC buses could easily navigate the narrower streets.

Unfortunately, the 7900 series buses were so plagued with mechanical problems that regular buses were often called in to fill in. As a result, the community loop buses were discontinued, with the exception of Route 595, which later became the Route 48 Jamaica Plain Loop, which still operates today.

Twin Coach and TMC sold their TC-25 buses to Bus Industries of America, which produced similar kinds of buses. The TC-25 and TC-30 became the Orion I CityCruiser, and BIA took on the name Orion Bus Industries (in America) and Ontario Orion (in Europe). The Orion bus series has the Orion I, Orion II (similar to an elongated mini bus), Orion III (an articulated coach, also known as a Crown Ikarus), Orion IV (a "people mover" exclusively used in Niagara Falls), the popular Orion V, and the low-floor Orion VI and VII.

Running by Detroit Diesel 8V71 engines, they could be heard from quite a distance and carry loads of passengers comfortably. The 9000, 9200 and 9300 series AM Generals had 8V71 engines, while the 9700 AMGs had 6V71 engines. A lot of the 9700 series AMGs were contracted to Rapid Transit Inc. for the Winthrop routes; these routes are now operated by Paul Revere Inc.

A full description of these buses, along with an all time roster list, has been moved to All Time AM General Roster.

Fleet #	Model #	Year
5200-5299	T6H 5307N	1980
6400-6424	T6H 5307N	1980
5700-5729	T6H 4523A	1980

The MBTA was fortunate enough to inherit a few buses "New Looks" from the Eastern Mass Railway Association and the old MTA, but the bulk of them remained at the suburban garages or stored. The MBTA found it necessary to purchase a new fleet of buses, and these buses, called "New Looks" or fishbowls, lasted for 35 years.

Where the "Old Look" buses had two separate windows, the New Looks had a single, yet very wide window that the bus driver and passengers could see through – the famous "fishbowl" design. The New Looks also had a longer, more streamlined body, navigating the narrow streets of Boston with ease.

In 1980, a new fleet of 170 GM of Canada "New Looks" arrived to supplement the older units. The difference between the two fleets was the green "alert" lights on the rear of the 5200, 5700 and 6400 series buses; furthermore, the 6400 series buses had padded leather seats for express bus service. The delivery of 168 New Flyer buses retired all of the older 3500 and 5000 series buses in 1982. In the late 1980s, many of the 1980 "New Look" coaches got much-needed
overhauls and those buses that were beyond repair were scrapped. Nevertheless, with the arrival of new RTS buses in 1994-95, the fishbowls needed to be retired.

In 1994, the MBTA began retiring many of the New Look buses, and with the final delivery of the NovaBus RTS buses, the MBTA retired the final set of GM of Canada fishbowls.

Fleet #	Model #	Year
9100-9184	D901	1982
9400-9484	D901	1982

The D901s were a variation of the Metropolitans, but the physical differences of a split window, wider width, and a more efficient turbo-diesel engine separated the two.

The Flyers were primarily used in local service, but, like their sister Metropolitan units, they were frequently seen on express bus routes into Boston. They were also the first buses to offer wheelchair lifts, but unfortunately the lifts were in the front of the bus and they often did not work.

In 1985, bus 9427 was in an accident. Rather than scrapping the bus, 9427 received brand new body work and flip-dot destination signs, and was rechristened as 9185.

The Flyers lasted at least five years longer than the Metropolitans did. When the new fleet of NovaBus RTS units went into service, the Flyers were retired and bought by a scrapper in New Jersey.