The LRTA originally used buses leased to them by the Massachusetts Bay Transporation Authority, in addition to several coaches formerly owned by Service Bus Lines. Also, sone ex-Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority buses saw service in Lowell at one point. LRTA service is operated by Lo-Law Transit Management.
A NOTE RE: SERVICE BUS LINES HISTORY. 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 FROM THE MBTA’S LYNN GARAGE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON THE EX SBL ROUTES. OCCASIONALLY, AN MBTA BUS WOULD RUN ON AN SBL ROUTE OR AN 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 DEDIDCATED SBL BUSES. THE EX SBL BUSES RAN IN LOWELL STILL OWNED BY 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. BEFORE THE LOW-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 ALSO, ALL LYNN BUSES HAD DESTINATION SIGNS WITH THE FORMER SBL ROUTES ADDED.
THE LRTA CAME INTO EXISTANCE IN 1974 AND WAS FUNDING THE MBTA TO OPERATE THE SERVICE IN LOWELL. IN 1976 LOW-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 LRTA TO CONTINUE OPERATION IN LOWELL. OTHER BUSES THAT WERE ASSIGNED TO TEWSBURY WERE RETURNED TO OTHER MBTA GARAGES. IN 1977, LOW-LAW BOUGHT 10 1961 TDH 5302’S EX TRANSPORT OF NEW JERSEY. MBTA FLXIBLES 7350-7359 WERE RETURNED AT THIS TIME. THE TDH 5302’S WERE NUMBERED 7071-7080 WHICH HAPPENED TO BE THE NUMBERS OF THE LICENCE 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. THESE UNITS WERE DELIVERED IN THE FALL OF 1979. ONCE THESE UNITS WERE ACCEPTED AND 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
THESE BUSES RAN ON MBTA ROUTES STILL IN THE LRTA PAINT SCHEME.
FLEET # MFR. MODEL YEAR SERIAL # NOTES 3524-3525 GMC TDH-5302 1961 471-472 Ex-EMSR 3524-3525 3540 GMC TDH-5302 1961 487 Ex-EMSR 3540 6166-6168 GMC TDH-5303 1967 6080-6082 6521 GMC TDH-4519 1966 1399 6545 GMC TDH-4519 1967 1674 6548 GMC TDH-4519 1967 1677 6681-6682 GMC T6H-4519 1969 0085-0086 11 6683-6684 GMC T6H-4519 1969 0288-0289 12 6685-6686 GMC T6H-4519 1969 0930-0931 13 6689 GMC T6H-4519 1969 1925 14 6691-6692 GMC T6H-4521A 1969 0252-0253 15 7095-7099 Flxible 111-CD-D061 1972 56047-56051 1 7350-7359 Flxible 111-CD-D051 1972 56047-56051 1 7071 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0356 2 7072 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0362 3 7073 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0364 4 7074 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0367 5 7075 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0376 6 7076 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0383 7 7077 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0392 8 7078-7079 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0403-0404 9 7080 GMC TDH-5302 [1974] 0406 10 7901-7922 TMC T-30-9025 1979 1-T2-196 to 22-T2-217 8001-8010 GMC T7W-603 1979 A450-A459 204 TMC T-30-0011 1980 1-T3-332 16 275-279 TMC T-30-9039 1980 1-T3-275 to 5-T3-279 17 1003-1005 GMC T7W-603 1978 083-085 18 1007-1008 GMC T7W-603 1978 087-088 18 1037 GMC T7W-603 1978 181 18 101-103 Boyertown Trolley 1980 ----------------- 104-105 Boyertown Trolley 1985 ----------------- 9201-9222 Flxible 35096-6TL 1992 ND102964-ND102985 9401-9411 Gillig 6C8T3096 1994 R1085647-R1085657 9412-9413 Gillig 6C8T3096 1994 R1085816-R1085817 9801-9802 BlueBird TransShuttle 1998 ----------------- 0101-0103 BlueBird Q-Bus 2000 ----------------- 19NOTES:
1 - Ex-MBTA, same numbers
2 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R303; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
3 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R309; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
4 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R311; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
5 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R314; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
6 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R323; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
7 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R330; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
8 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R339; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
9 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R350-R351; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
10 - Ex-Transport of New Jersey R353; acquired second hand by MBTA, leased to LRTA
11 - Ex-Service Bus Lines #6381-6382
12 - Ex-Service Bus Lines #6483-6484
13 - Ex-Service Bus Lines #6685-6686
14 - Ex-Malden Bus Line #6789
15 - Ex-Service Bus Lines #6991-6992
16 - Originally a demo bus by TMC; Ex-Cape Ann Transportation Authority, same number
17 - Ex-Merrimack Valley RTA; same numbers
18 - Ex-Pioneer Valley TA/Springfield St Railways, same numbers
19 - Compressed Natural Gas; Trolley Bus used in Downtown Shuttle service
Page created Friday, 1 March 2002
Comments on this page can be emailed to ctrabs@hotmail.com.
