by James Bow, revised by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos
See Also
- A Brief History of New Flyer Industries
- The Western Flyer D700 Series Bus
- The Flyer Industries D800 Series Bus
- The New Flyer Industries D40 Series Bus
- The New Flyer Industries Xcelsior Series Bus
Welcome to the 1980s
Fresh from its success with the D800 series, Flyer Industries announced in 1978 a redesign of their earlier bus, to provide a more modern look, wider front doors for improved accessibility and possible wheelchair lifts, and the option of air conditioning. This series of buses was christened the D900. It featured more squared-off edges and a flatter front end. It had new rectangular headlights and a new windshield with the close side tilted inward. The front door was wider than on older Flyer models in order to provide adequate space for installing a wheelchair lift. The model was revised in 1981 as the D-901. It can be distinguished from the D900 as the windshield wraps around the edges of the bus. The D-901 was also available with the option for air conditioning. Another version of the D901 was the D-902, built for San Francisco MUNI that contained a number of design revisions such as wider door windows.
Flyer has built the E-901A and E902 trolley buses built for Translink in Vancouver. So far, they were never operated in Toronto.
TTC took delivery of 107 D-901s in late 1981, numbered 8380-8486. They were evenly split between divisions including Queensway, Danforth, Eglinton and Arrow Road. They were a common sight on 25 DON MILLS, 32 EGLINTON WEST and 34 EGLINTON EAST. The last ten buses of this order (8477-8486) were equipped with air conditioning, special extra-comfortable seats and an enhanced public address system for use on the Toronto Grey Line Sightseeing service. The air conditioning was shut off when they ran on regular TTC routes.
The TTC ordered an additional 198 D901s in 1985. Buses 6000-6204 were delivered over the next year. These differed from the earlier D901s as they offered power steering and improvements to the driver’s area and the front doors. These were assigned to Queensway, Danforth and Arrow Road.
At Twenty Years of Service
In 1998, the TTC took delivery of the Nova-built RTS series of buses. At this time, half of the TTC’s fleet of 1981-built D901s were retired, while the remainder were restricted to rush hour service, or filling in as streetcar shuttles during track reconstruction. These remaining buses held on until the New Flyer Industries D40LF series buses were delivered, later in 1999.
As for the 1985 series, these continued operating into the new millennium, assigned to Queensway, Arrow Road and Malvern garages. Starting in 2004, these buses were retired, replaced by arriving Orion VIIs. The last units, numbers 6068 and 6133, were retired in September 2007. Bus #6104 was rescued from the scrap heap and purchased by the Belka Enrichment Centre for use as a mobile learning facility.
Condensed D-901 Roster:
- 8380-8476 - FIL D-901 - Delivered 1981, retired 1998-9
- 8477-8486 - FIL D-901-SS - Delivered 1981, retired 1998-9 (Sightseeing buses also used by Grey Line Tours)
- 6000-6122 - FIL D-901 - Delivered 1985, retired 2003-7
- 6130-6204 - FIL D-901 - Delivered 1986, retired 2004-7
Specifications
- Model Name: D901-10240
- Numbers: #8380-#8476 (1981 models), #8477-#8486 (1981 models, Air conditioning), #6000-#6122 (1985 models), #6130-#6204 (1986 models)
- Length: 40’
- Width: 102”
- Seats: 39: Otaco Model 6468
- Engine: Detroit Diesel Series 6V71N, 181 hp
- Transmission: Allison V730 3 speed (#8380-#8486, #6000-#6122), Allison V731 ATEC 3 speed (#6130-#6204)
- Destination Sign: Rollsign, later replaced with Luminator Matrix:MAX
New Flyer Industries D901 Series Image Archive
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6118 seen in service on route 9 BELLAMY at Scarborough Centre station on a cloudy April 14, 1993. This photo was taken by Paul A. Bateson. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 re-build #6085 operates eastbound on Westhumber at Kipling in service on 96 WILSON, still a long way from York Mills Station. Photo by David Cavlovic. |
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Bus models meeting side by side. TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6000 bearing the 96D WILSON sign poses with GM New Look (T6H-5307N) bus #8840 with the 96 WILSON exposure. The photographer is unknown. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 re-build 6014, seen here operating on 505 DUNDAS at Dundas West station during track reconstruction in the year 2000. Photo by David Cavlovic. |
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On this sunset 1998 day, TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6022 operating at Rosedale station on the 82 ROSEDALE station service. This photo is taken by Felix Tse. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6049 lays over at Rosedale station in this September 1997 shot by Jeff Bentley. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6055 lays over at Eglinton West subway station's bus terminal in service on 32 EGLINTON WEST in this 1986 shot. The photographer is unknown and the image is courtesy the Pete Coulman collection. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 re-build #6061 operates souhtbound on The West Mall just south of Burnhamthorpe (across from Etobicoke City Hall) is completing its inbound run to Kipling station on the 112B branch of WEST MALL. Photo by David Cavlovic. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6064 rests at Kipling station in service on the 45 KIPLING going northbound to Steeles. Photo taken in January 1998 by Jeff Bentley. |
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TTC bus 6097 operates through the York University's Common Area on November 27, 2001. |
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Bob Hussey provided this photo of TTC Flyer Industries D-901 bus #6097 passing eastbound on route 114A KINGSTON ROAD EAST shown on St. Clair Avenue East approaching Kingston Road heading eastbound to Beechgrove in a snowy December 1985. |
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TTC New Flyer D-901 bus #6104 may have had its most colourful career after being retired by the TTC. Jelo Gutierrez Cantos caught this photograph on October 17, 2013. Bus #6104 had been bought by a special learning enrichment organization called Belka, and was referred to as a "Belka Bus", a mobile learning centre. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus Route 6121 boards passengers in Main Street station in this post 1985 picture. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6121, still in the old colours when this photo was taken, operating in the 510 SPADINA private right-of-way. Photo by Brad O'Brien. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #6172 on 25 DON MILLS seen at Sheppard and Don Mills on June 30, 1999. Photo by Felix Tse. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 rebuild 6192 is seen here, filled with passengers heading home from islington station. The bus is turning west onto Bloor before heading south on the 110 ISLINGTON SOUTH route. Photo by David Cavlovic. |
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TTC Orion III Ikarus articulated bus #6410 pays a visit to Jane station, where it meets Flyer Industries D901 #6203 and a GM New Look. James Bow took this photographer on September 4, 2000. |
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A busy station. Nova 7225 is ready to leave with a full load from Broadview station on a 100 FLEMINGDON PARK run while Flyer re-build D901 bus #6194 loads passengers at its 62 MORTIMER bay. Photo by David Cavlovic. |
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Nova bus #7241 has alighted passnegers from an 87 COSBURN run but has to wait its turn until Flyer D901 bus #6135 (operating on 8 BROADVIEW) enters the bay first. Photo by David Cavlovic. |
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TTC New Flyer D901 bus #8387 pulls up to a stop in service on 76 ROYAL YORK SOUTH in this early-to-mid 1980s shot by John Calnan. |
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TTC Flyer D901 bus #8932 pulls into Kipling station, in service on 46 MARTIN GROVE in this mid-1980s shot by John Calnan. Two other GM New Looks pull in behind. |
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On February 11, 1998, Fred Tang captured Flyer D901 bus #8420 that formerly carried the Yellow Page ad for many years and was repainted with a new trial color (This color scheme has now been partially adopted for the new rebuilt and repainted 1985 Flyers that the Gray color is replaced by white color) in 1995 after receiving a major overhaul. The small size fleet number on the edges have been lost. |
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Wrapped in the Yellow Pages advertising, Paul A. Bateson captured TTC bus #8420 is a Flyer D-901 is seen loading passengers on route 21 BRIMLEY in this photo dated Wednesday, April 14, 1993. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #8425 lays over at Keele station in service on the 80 QUEENSWAY route in this July 1997 shot by Jeff Bentley. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #8426 operates on the 502 DOWNTOWNER route as a temporary replacement for streetcars while trackwork is in progress. Photo by Brad O'Brien. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #8429 pauses at York Mills terminal, in service on the "Rumike" branch of 96 WILSON in this October 1982 shot by Jim Phelps. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #8448 pulls into Dufferin loop in 29 DUFFERIN rush-hour service on August 20, 1984. Image courtesy the H. Partridge collection. |
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TTC Flyer FIL D-901 bus Route 8452 pulls into Eglinton West station, in service on the "Trethewey" branch of 32 EGLINTON WEST. This 1984 photograph was donated by Peter Coulman. |
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Paul A. Bateson capture TTC Flyer D-901 bus #8454 in service on route 100 FLEMINGDON PARK loading passengers at Broadview station on January 12, 1993. |
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TTC Flyer D901 #8472 crosses Yonge Street and prepares to turn left from Eglinton Avenue into Eglinton station. Bus is operating on 51 LESLIE in this March 1982 shot. Photo donated by Peter Coulman. |
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TTC Flyer D-901 bus #8473 seen in service on route 25 DON MILLS in August 1998. Photo by Fred Tang |
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TTC D901 Flyer #8474 on the 506 Carlton Shuttle. Towards the end of their service life, most 1981 D901s were assigned to streetcar routes as shuttles operating during track replacement sessions. Photo by Brad O'Brien |
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TTC Flyer D901 bus #8474 departs Davisville station in service on 28 DAVISVILLE on a cloudy day in April 1984. Photo by Bob Hussey courtesy the Pete Coulman Collection. |
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TTC buses 8257 and 8480, D-800 and D-901 models respectively, pose outside Queensway Garage. Photo taken in the year 1999 by Brad O'Brien. |
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The upper bus platform at Wilson station (looking south) hosts a Flyer re-build pulling in for a brief stopover westbound on 96 WILSON. This 2000 photograph is by David Cavlovic. |
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TTC GM New Looks and Flyer D-901 buses gather at Hillcrest, at the end of their service life. John Spence took this image of these buses bound for the scrap heap in 2006. |
