History of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority and Its Predecessor Operations

by Bob Hussey 

LRTA took over the operation of the local service in the City of Lowell from the MBTA in July 1976.  The MBTA leased 27 buses to LRTA at that time from the former Service Bus Lines.

(A note about Service Bus Lines: the routes and drivers of SBL were purchased by the MBTA on February 8, 1975.   Ten buses (6178, 6381-82, 6483-84, 6685-86, 6789, 6991-92 were leased to the MBTA from SBL.  They were operated exclusively from the MBTA's Lynn Garage almost exclusively on the ex-SBL routes.  Occasionally, an MBTA bus would run on an SBL route or a SBL bus would run on an MBTA route.  Neither buses had the correct destination signs.

In June/July 1975 the ten SBL buses were transferred to the MBTA’S Tewksbury Garage. In exchange, Lynn received 10 T6H 4521A’S (7520-7529).  These ten buses received the destination signs from the SBL units and became the dedicated SBL buses . The ex SBL buses ran in Lowell still owned by the SBL and leased to the MBTA.  The MBTA bought the buses from SBL on September 8, 1975, six months after the routes were purchased.   The MBTA painted over the SBL name on the side of the buses in blue and renumbered them all into the 6600 series simply by applying a “6” decal over the second digit (i.e. 6178 = 6678, 6381-82 = 6682-83, 6483-84 = 6683-84, 6685-86 stayed the same, 6789 = 6689, 6991-92 = 6691-92 - BC).  Before the Lo-Law takeover, buses 6682 AND 6685 were involved in minor accidents in the Lowell area and were returned to the Everett Shops for repairs.  While there, they were overhauled and painted into the MBTA yellow scheme and assigned to the Lynn garage.  The ex-SBL drivers would try to take these buses on their former routes as much as possible.   By this time as well, all Lynn buses had destination signs with the former SBL routes added.)

The LRTA came into existence in 1974 and was funding the MBTA to operate the service in Lowell.  In 1976 Lo-Law Transit Management Company decided to stop funding the MBTA and operate the service.  The 27 buses above were left at the Tewksbury garage by the MBTA and leased to the LRTA to continue operation in Lowell.  Other buses that were assigned to Tewksbury were returned to other MBTA garages.  IN 1977, Lo-Law bought 10 1961 TDH 5302’S, formerly from Transport of New Jersey (now NJ Transit).  MBTA Flxibles 7350-7359 were returned at this time (most likely to Charlestown garage - BC).   The TDH 5302’S were numbered 7071-7080, which happened to be the numbers of the license plates assigned to each unit.  These buses, as well as the 17 leased MBTA buses, were painted in a red/white/blue stripe scheme.

Around this time, the LRTA also ordered 22 Citycruisers from TMC and 10 RTS from GM.  There units were delivered in the fall of 1979.  Once these units were accepted and the drivers trained, the ex-MBTA buses were returned.  The units went to the following garages:

3524, 3525, 3540 to Quincy
6166-6168 to Bartlett Street
6521, 6545, 6548 to Cabot
6678, 6681 to Lynn
6683, 6684, 6686, 6689, 6691, 6692 to Quincy

(In 1992, the LRTA retired their Citycruisers and RTS units and accepted delivery of 22 Flxible Metro D 35' coaches; in 1994, they received 13 Gillig Phantoms.  BC)