First posted in October 2014. Time has finally run out for Calgary Transit’s venerable fleet of MCI Classic buses and after some twenty plus years of service, they’re being retired. In the last while they’ve mostly served during peak hours only and the quantity on the road varied depending on service levels.
All through the summer and even into September 2014, it was common to catch them out in the wild during the morning and afternoon rush. By the second week of October that all changed, abruptly, and sightings became few and far between. Clearly the end was near…or had the worst already happened? A quick call to a friend and contact within the CTS organization was needed.
The Last Classic? (Calgary Transit): and then there were none. A thing for buses with Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
Thanks to “Anonymous” for sponsoring this and many other posts at BIGDoer.com. Be an angel…
This is a piece from a decade ago and we brought it back for your enjoyment. And ours – we like buses – it’s strange and there’s no denial there. The context is from 2014 – keep that in mind – but we’ve added an updates within the post. Now let’s begin…
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That insider told us a small number of Classics remained in service – great – but they were likely to only last a few more days. We could still catch them – fingers and toes crossed – but only by acting fast.
The next day, October 15th, we stationed ourselves at the exit to the Spring Gardens bus barns in anticipation of the afternoon rush. This facility is on 32nd Ave NE, close to Deerfoot Trail and it’s where almost all the Classics operated from. If any were to leave for service, they’d pass through these very gates.
The times passes and a parade of buses exit the barns, but not a single Classic appears. Well, not one in use that is. A large group parked on the grounds look out of service and this suggests the odds are against us.
Still, one must hold out hope. Wait…is that a Classic coming out of the building? Yes, they live! Well…one lives! We caught a single example heading out, so it was mission fulfilled, we guess.
No more appeared, and an hour later with the rush-hour exodus over, our Classic count still stood at one. As we found out via our contact a week or so later, this turned out to be the final day of regular service for any in fleet. They said a couple were used in the days before, but were pretty certain only one – the one we saw – hit the road on the 15th. And then there were none.
Truly the last CTS Classic? We think so, but it’s said cautiously since we’re only going by non-official information. A search found no in-service photos of these buses from after this date.
General Motors Diesel Division in Saint-Eustache, Quebec developed the Classic in the early 1980s. This model replaced the well known and proven GMC “New Look” (affectionately called “Fishbowls”) and they were one of the most popular transit buses ever produced (from 1959-1986). The two designs share much in common and in many ways the Classic was simply a redesigned New Look, with an updated skin and other modernized features.
In 1987, the company MCI (Motor Coach Industries, of Greyhound Bus fame) took over the GM plant. In 1993, the factory changed hands again and became the firm Nova Bus. All the while Classic production continued and it ran all the way from 1983 to 1997. These Canadian made buses proved so popular that many US operators purchased examples new.
Calgary Transit’s Classics, just over a hundred in total, were built in 1991 and 1992 across two separate orders. They also bought a few used ones from a US transit agency, in the mid-2000s, which were also MCI produced (1990-91). Whether built by GM, MCI or Nova, they are all pretty much the same outside and differ only by the maker’s nameplate.
These were some of the last high floor transit buses CTS purchased and post 1992, all orders were for low floor models. These designs, a standardized form now with all bus manufacturers, makes entering and exiting much easier. That’s especially so for the elderly, the handicapped and those with wee-ones, baby carriages or packages.
With the Classics now retired, the CTS fleet is one hundred percent low floor. The oldest buses on the roster date to 1993 and are New Flyer model D40LFs in the 7500 series. Update 2025: New Flyer D40LFs from 2002 and in the 7800 series are presently the oldest buses in the fleet.
The one MCI Classic captured leaving was #5066 and the display showed both routes #711 (a school bus run) and #11. Okay…? Those parked that we could see included #5020, #5032, #5034, #5038, #5051, #5058, #5067, #5077, #5079, #5090, #5092, #5096, #5101 and finally #5106. Many others are probably still on the property and out of view. It’s a big complex.
What will happen to these buses is not certain. Surely they’ll scrap some of the most worn-out examples, but it’s also likely they’ll sell a few of the better ones, perhaps, to other transit agencies or charter firms. Update 2025: Indeed some were sold to various operators, who got a few more years out of them. Bus #5066 was sent to Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO or Gatineau QC Transit) and it ran into 2018.
A few operators in Canada and some in the US still run Classics, so they’re not extinct everywhere. But they’re probably on the endangered list everywhere. Southland Transportation for example, a local charter company, has some in service and they’re often seen shuttling people about the Spruce Meadows venue. Update 2025: it’s safe to say they’re all done for and now relegated to history.
Nova still makes buses and Calgary Transit has some. They bought LFS series models built in the years 2010 to 2013. CTS seems to prefer New Flyer, based out of Winnipeg Manitoba, more however. Update 2025: CTS switched allegiances and have eschewed Flyer for Nova.
This photo came from a cheap-o little camera on an dreary, ugly day, so it’s not the greatest and outside the odd bus-obsessed nut like us, the event is hardly momentous. But when you look at it and think back, you might make a little connection. See it as something more than a normal day at the transit system.
Did I ride that bus once? How many miles has it run? How many people has it transported? Why did this bus become the last? You can’t help wonder.
More than two decades on the road and here’s its swansong. There was no one but us there to record it all, but it felt important to do.
Around this same time last year, we captured some of the last Calgary Transit GMC Fishbowls in service and here’s a link to that article…Calgary Transit: the Last GMC Fishbowls.
“They have no fear when it comes to searching in remote areas, and they have an artistic eye for picture taking. It’s a very enjoyable site.” James Robinson (sometimes we’re in the city too).
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Date of adventure: October 2014. Location: Calgary, Alberta. Article references and thanks: Calgary Transit and the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board & Wiki.
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