In September 1953 Niagara Frontier Transit received its first General Motors transit bus. It was also the first bus equipped with air suspension and a two-speed V-drive transmission. Originally numbered 100, it was changed to 7000 in 1954 when 29 additional model TDH-5106 buses (numbers 7001-7029) were received. Fifteen additional buses (7100-7114) arrived in 1957. In 1961, 20 more idential units (600-619) were added when NFT purchased Bufffalo Transit, Inc.

Photo by General Motors Corp.

A mid-day weekday scene in January, 1970, as NFT number 7018 is inbound on Main Street at Chippewa in downtown Buffalo.

The last of these 65 coaches was retired in 1979. One unit – 7101 – was converted to a vault bus in 1971 and continued to run until 1992. Today it survives in private preservation.

To celebrate the American Bicentennial in 1976, two buses – 604 and 7022 – were repainted in a special commemorative color scheme. Number 604 was caught behind the old garage in Niagara Falls, while 7022 is seen on route 22, posed in the loop near Walden & Bailey.

Upper photo by Alan Gryfe
 
Lower photo by Walter Bailey

In 1941 the IRC (International Railway Company) received 10 Mack single-door model LC transit buses for interurban service between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. They were equipped with special high-speed gearing, mohair seats and trumpet air horns. In 1954 two were converted to transport farebox vaults for NFT’s new Grant farebox system. This particular bus, number 12, ran until December 1971. It was photographed near the end of its service life in January 1970 in front of the former NFT headquarters building at Main and Virgina Streets.

NFT and its predecessor IRC were loyal Mack customers, purchasing a total of 1,195 buses between 1935 and 1958. The “new look Mack” was created by Mack for the NFT, although many features were dervied from Mack’s “Bus of Tomorrow” built in 1950. This member of the group is southbound on Main Street at Tupper in January, 1970. The old Teck Theater to the left of the bus is the former Courier-Express building. Across the street, the red stone edifice at the right of the picture is the Sidway Building, converted to loft apartments in 2004.

The first “New Look” GMC transit buses in the Buffalo area were received by the Buffalo Transit Company in March, 1960, almost nine months prior to NFT’s first order. Originally numbered 340 through 349, they were renumbered 700-709 in 1963 by NFT when the formerly separate BTC division was integrated into the larger NFT. Nine remained in service until 1978, while the tenth was converted into yet another vault bus and operated until 1989.

Photo by General Motors Corp.

Buffalo Motor Bus number 3211 at LaSalle Metro station in November 1991, about to depart to UB’s North Campus via Boulevard Mall. With the exception of the crests and destination sign, this bus looked the same when it was South Carolina Electric & Gas 3211.

Photo by Jeff Co???

BFLO Transit Company 928 was delivered new on September 24th, 1970 to the Chicago RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) as their number 8100. It was originally assigned to the City of Elgin where it ran until 1991. Three years later it was acquired by CyRide in Ames, Iowa. It was then sold to BTC in August, 1997 and re-entered service in January 1998. Later renumbered 4310, it ran until December 2001 when it was sold back to CyRide and regained its old number 928. At the end of 2003 it still continued to see regular service.

Photo by Alan Gryfe

BFLO Transit 4911 poses for the photographer in January 2002 at the Irwin Road garage. It had just been completely overhauled and had not yet entered revenue service.

Photo by Dale Bregger