Orion V

The Orion V was a line of rigid high-floor transit buses available in 32', 35', and 40' lengths manufactured by Ontario Bus Industries (renamed Orion Bus Industries in 1995) between 1989 and 2009. The conventionally powered buses, either with longitudinally mounted diesel or natural gas engines, used a T-drive transmission coupling. The Orion V replaced the Orion I, and was in turn replaced by the low-floor Orion VI (introduced in 1993) and Orion VII (introduced in 2001).

Orion V

Orion V buses operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and the New York MTA
Top: Diesel (formerly CNG); Bottom: CNG
Overview
ManufacturerOntario/Orion Bus Industries
Production1989–2009
Assembly
Body and chassis
ClassTransit bus
Body styleMonocoque
LayoutRR
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase
Lengthover bumpers:
Width96 in (2.44 m) [32' or 35'][1] or
102 in (2.59 m) [35' or 40'][1]
Height121 to 134 in (3.07 to 3.40 m)[1]
Curb weight
  • 25,500 to 28,800 lb (11,600 to 13,100 kg) (diesel)[2][3][4][5]
  • 26,150 to 31,700 lb (11,900 to 14,400 kg) (CNG)[2]
Chronology
Predecessor
Successor

Design

The two-piece windshield of the Orion V has the driver's windshield canted towards the back of the bus to reduce reflections. The bus was available in both transit (two-door) and suburban (single front door) configurations.[2]

The Orion V uses a welded monocoque steel tube frame clad with steel and fiberglass panels, and an aluminum roof.[3]: 8  [4]: 7  [5]: 6  The interior floor height is 35.75 inches (908 mm) except for the vestibule portion starting at the rear wheels, which is slightly lower at 34.5 inches (880 mm). The first step height is 14.5 inches (370 mm) for the front (11 inches (280 mm) when knelt) and 15.75 inches (400 mm) for the rear.[2] All buses, regardless of fuel type, use longitudinally mounted engines with a T-drive transmission coupling driving the rear axle.

Compressed natural gas (CNG) buses carry their fuel on the roof in eight tanks, with a collective volume of 10,440 cu ft (296 m3) at a pressure of 3,000 psi (21,000 kPa), measured at 70 °F (21 °C).[3]: 9  Diesel buses were offered with 96, 125, or 150 US gal (360, 470, or 570 L) fuel tanks.[1]

Ontario (later Orion) Bus Industries (OBI) marketed the Orion V to both the Canadian and United States transit markets. Canadian buses were assembled at the OBI plant in Mississauga, Ontario. For the US market, to meet 'Buy America' requirements for federally subsidized transit vehicles, the Orion V was assembled by wholly owned subsidiary Bus Industries of America (BIA) in Oriskany, New York.

Models

Internally, OBI designated the bus model as 05.50x, with x designating the model number.[3]: 7 [4]: 7 

Model number Length Width Years available Fuel type Suburban or Transit
05.501 40 ft 8.5 in
12.41 m		 102 in
2.59 m		 1989-2009 Diesel and CNG Both
05.502 96 in
2.44 m		 Transit
05.503 35 ft 7.5 in
10.86 m
05.504 102 in
2.59 m
05.505 32 ft 5 in
9.88 m		 96 in
2.44 m
05.506 102 in
2.59 m

[6]

Hybrid prototypes

A series hybrid bus was developed by the New York State Consortium using an Orion V 40' chassis equipped with powertrain components supplied by General Electric. This hybrid bus prototype used tandem rear axles driven by four traction motors, one for each wheel. Electric traction power was generated by a Cummins B5.9 diesel engine rated at 190 hp (140 kW) driving a 100 kW (130 hp) alternator, and energy from regenerative braking was stored in nickel-cadmium batteries.[7]

Deployment

The Orion V was OBI's most popular transit bus.[8] The first production bus was sold to Mississauga Transit.[9] Major transit agency users included New York City (MTA), Toronto (TTC), and Washington, D.C. (WMATA). For MTA, some buses in the final order from 1999[10] were unreliable and plagued with significant structural corrosion.[11] Coast Mountain Bus Company in Vancouver operates the Orion V Suburban models built in 2008, the last buses built for a Canadian agency. The last Orion V models were built for Sonoma County Transit in 2008.

TTC retired its Orion V fleet in December 2015; the retirement event featured a final 40-minute ride on No. 9411.[12]

As of 2023, a handful of Orion V models remain in operation such as Beaver Bus Lines of Brandon, Manitoba, which currently operates a number of former GO Transit buses built from 2000 to 2004 and Coast Mountain Bus Company in Vancouver that also runs the suburban Orion V models built in 2008, as the last Orion V buses manufactured for a Canadian transit system. Bee-Line Bus System and Sonoma County Transit operates the last Orion V buses in diesel and CNG configurations.

Competition

References
  1. "Specifications Orion V High Floor". Daimler Commercial Buses North America. Archived from the original on March 31, 2005.
  2. "Orion V Brochure" (PDF). Orion Bus Industries. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2005.
  3. STURAA Test: 12 Year, 500,000 Mile Bus from OBI, Model 05.501 (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. March 1994. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  4. STURAA Test: 35' Heavy Duty Bus from Bus Industries of America, Orion V Model (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. August 1992. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  5. Partial STURAA Test: ORION V 40' Heavy Duty Bus from Bus Industries of America (PDF) (Report). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. July 1990. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  6. "Orion Bus Industries 'Orion V' - CPTDB Wiki". cptdb.ca. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  7. Transportation Research Board; ARCADIS Geraghty and Miller, Inc. "8: Hybrid-Electric Propulsion" (PDF). Guidebook for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing Fuel Choices for Transit Bus Operations (Report). National Academy of Sciences. pp. 50–51. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  8. Brophy, Jim (July 16, 2016). "Bus Stop Classics: Orion I Thru VII – Cross-Border Cruisers…". Bus Stop Classics. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  9. Bow, James; Lubinski, Robert; Cantos, Jelo Gutierrez (April 9, 2017). "The Orion V Bus". Transit Toronto. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  10. "Table 9: Bus Facilities and Equipment - Spring 2010" (PDF). Supplementary Information for § 1269(d), 2011–2015 (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  11. "Table 9: Bus Facilities and Equipment - Spring 2010" (PDF). Transit & Bus committee Meeting, January 2015 (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  12. Robinson, Michael (December 5, 2015). "Last Orion V bus goes out of service in style". The Star. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
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