The situation with U.S. and Canadian city buses is as unusual as with intercity buses. Despite the attractiveness of the huge market for a century, with few exceptions, it has remained virtually closed to any non-local companies. And domestic producers, given the volume of traffic, very few – only six, control 90% of the market.
This is due to the local way of life and tradition – the abundance of private vehicles and the extensive network of highways even in the cities do not require extensive use of public transport, as in other countries.
Despite the abandonment of bus production three decades ago, the company is still the most important company in the urban transportation industry. The PD (Old Look) series bus, introduced in 1940, revolutionized the entire industry. Designed by the concern’s Yellow Coach Company, it was the first bus with an aluminum monocoque body, which made the structure lighter. For the first time a self-made two-stroke diesel engine, air suspension, and hydraulic automatic transmission were installed on a vehicle of this class. Urban and suburban, it was produced in 8 variants in length (from 7.6 to 12.6 m), accommodated from 27 to 55 seats and repeatedly modified. A total of 38,000 of these cars were produced.
The second mass model of the concern appeared in 1959. For the unusual rounded shape of windshields the car TDH-5301 received the nickname Fishbowl. Interestingly, officially it was called the “New Look”, while its predecessor was unofficially renamed to “old-fashioned”. It inherited the family design features and was produced until 1977, not only by GM, but also by other companies under license. The most mass-produced bus in the U.S. sold 44,000 units.
The next model appeared as a result of an open all-American competition, the Transbus. Several companies took part in it, and GM won with a bus of an advanced design, officially named RTS (Rapid Transit System). Indeed, the aerodynamic look of the bus does not look old-fashioned even today, 35 years after its debut. The license for its production was successively acquired by Transportation Manufacturing Corporation, NovaBus, Millennium Transit Services, Dupont Industries.
The last city model of concern was a car with a simple name Classic; such it was externally and internally. It was produced under license by various American and Canadian companies.
Over the years, the company developed and produced buses of various types and models. The most popular:
- GM Parlor Series Coach/GM Buffalo – a line of models for making intercity and touring trips, produced from 1939 to 1986, from 1966 to 1980 had a stepped roof at the front.
- GM Old Look – a model with an advanced for that time (1930s) wagon design, aluminum body, six-cylinder engine.
- GM New Look was a city bus to replace New Look which was produced since 1940. It was upgraded several times, was produced in USA and Canada, and was offered in suburban models.
- The B-series and S-series are families of school buses, which were produced at different times.
The manufacturer’s lineup included a significant number of models and modifications, which were produced in small batches. In addition, the range of the manufacturer also currently includes buses of a particularly small class with a capacity. Vans and vans created on their basis appeared in the range of companies in the mid-20th century. Some families, such as the popular Savana, are still in production today (information is current as of 2020).