Admittedly, the NABIs have had a challenging job, following in the footsteps of a coach which had dominated the Baltimore market for 13 years. Despite some "teething" problems at times, the coaches have done well, and are gaining a steady stronghold on the region's bus services.
Year: Numbers: Length: Engine: Lift: Configuration: Retired: Notes: 1995 9501-9510 60 Feet Cummins M-11 YES Semi-Suburban Active Baltimore's First quantity order of Articulateds 1997 9601-9615 60 Feet Cummins M-11 YES City Active 1997 9616-9620 60 Feet Cummins M-11 YES Semi-Suburban Active 1997 9701-9750 40 Feet Cummins M-11 YES City Active 1998 9801-9865 40 Feet Cummins M-11 YES City Active 1999 9901-9967 40 Feet Cummins M-11 YES City Active 2000 0001-0080 40 Feet Cummins M-11 YES City In delivery Faced with Flxible's Departure from the Marketplace, MTA as well as other agencies nationwide were sent scrambling for sources of new city buses. Originally, it was hoped that someone would aquire the rights to produce the Flxible design. However, it was not to be, as agencies realized that the time had come for them to revise their transit standards, and make the change to some other vehicle type.
Around the same time that MTA was receiving their last Flxibles, a demonstration order was placed with Ikarus for 10 Articulated buses. These coaches, which were originally envisioned to help relieve overcrowding on the #13 line, were gradually reassigned, and are now the "bread and butter" fleet of the #91 line, from time to time seeing service on the #5 and #27 line as well.
Ikarus looked to be a major player in the market as a result of Flxible's closing, and emerged in 1996 as North American Bus Industries (NABI). Based in Anniston, Alabama, the company assembles shells prepared in Hungary to "Build America" specs for sale on the US Market. In this regard, the venture has been quite successful.
NABI recieved bid awards from MTA in 1996 for an additional 20 Articulateds, and again in 1997 for 50 standard 40 foot buses. Interestingly, the 40 footers arrived before the Artics, despite what their numbering would indicate. In September of 1997, the first of the 40 footers arrived. Their appearance strongly resembled that of Neoplan AN-440s. In fact several "know-it-all" operators remarked, "All the company did was send out the old (3700s) and they were rebuilt. Those buses aren't new!" Regardless of these conspiracy theories, the new coaches gradually hit the streets in the Fall of that year. They have not had any major difficulties, although many can be observed running with collapsed bellows, which yields for a most uncomfortable ride. One major observable innovation in the 9700s is the use of Twin-Vision destination signs (first demonstrated in Flxible #8713) which have both a reflective dot and a green LED that make for much easier viewing at night.
NABI Photo Collection The original 10 NABI Articulateds, numbered 9501-9510, are techically "Ikarus" buses. Here, #9502 prepares to make the left turn from Eutaw Street onto Baltimore in 1998. Adam Paul photo. Coach #9507 crests the hill of Eutaw Place at Lanvale Street as it works the heavy route #91, enroute to City Hall. The statuary behind it was recently redone with new gold leaf as part of a beautification project. Adam Paul photo. Same Coach, Same Place, Same Time, Different Angle. Here, a left side, telephoto shows the same coach from the opposite side of Eutaw Place. The Bolton Hill segment of Route #91 is among its most impressive architecturally. Trevor Logan Photo. Just South of the location of the Above photo is #9603, one of Northwest Division's 5 Artics from the 9600 series. The remaining coaches of this order went to Bush Street for Route #2. Photo by Adam Paul on July 31, 1998 Belying the Massive nature of the bus are the narrow streets of Yale Heights, upon which Artics like #9611 ply daily. Here, the coach is shown on Brisbane at Williston on February 27, 1998. Adam Paul photo. Coach #9611 prepares to pull into the vaulting station at Bush Street Yard in July of 2001. During the Summer months, a number of the Bush Street coaches head to Ocean City for service there, making their availabilty locally rather scarce. Adam Paul photo. In October of 2001, coach #9617 proceeds down Gilmor Street at Hollins in the Union Square community, while working the #2 line out to Route 40 & Rolling. Adam Paul photo. The first 40 Foot bus not bought from Flxible in over 15 years is represented by #9701, shown here on Frederick Avenue near Mallow Hill Road on Sunday April 12, 1998. Coach has since been retrofitted as the demonstrator for the Ballios Technologies Orange LED signs. Adam Paul photo. Still carrying its TwinVision sign is #9701 again, shown here preparing to close up shop on the Sunday #14 line service at Annapolis on May 24, 1998. Eastern Division NABI's were a familiar sight on the #10 soon after delivery. Here #9713 bounces across Eutaw and Fayette Streets on April 2, 1998. Adam Paul photo. This stop, Broadway! Coach #9715 stops at Eastern and Broadway on Route #10 on April 13, 1998. From here, the coach will turn right to proceed to State Center. Adam Paul photo. Brand new, freshly delivered #9717 displays "NASTY BOYS" on its scroll. Seen here in the Bush Street Yard, the coach had yet to enter service on September 25, 1997. Adam Paul photo. Kirk Division's NABIs are regular fixtures on routes 8 and 36. Here, coach #9722 has almost reached its terminus at University Hospital, seen here at the Charles Center Plaza on March 26, 1998. Adam Paul photo. Taken from about the same vantage point as the above shot is coach #9818 on June 19, 1999. Note the complete removal of the old Hamburgers Building, whose structure is still partially visible in the above photo. Adam Paul photo. Coach #9822 works its way down Washington Avenue at Allegheny on January 27, 1999 at 2:19pm, working route #8. The coach still has about an hour before it will reach its Inner Harbor destination. Adam Paul photo. The first snow of the season is rarely something to be looked forward to, particularly for buses such as #9836, seen here on January 19, 2002 while working the #33 line to Moravia at Coldspring and Kittery Lanes. Adam Paul photo. For all intents, the Twin Vision signs appear to have the best range of visibility in both bright and dark situations. Here, coach #9856 rests at Maryland and Lafayette Avenues before preparing to work a shift on Route #31 in August of 2001. The Glowing Orange Destination signs on the 9900 series are particularly vivid in twilight and evening hours, as seen by #9916, seen here on Howard Street at Baltimore working the #120 line on February 12, 2001. Adam Paul photo. Coach #9934 displays the rarely seen "BUCKINGHAM ROAD" destination on the #M1 line, as it collects fares from Mondawmin Station. Thomas Reaves photo. With no Park and Ride buses to it's stable of routes, the Northwest 9900s are liable to found just about anywhere in their system. Here, M6 signed coach #9938 glides down Gwynn Oak Avenue at Wayne in October of 2001. Adam Paul photo. An eternal classic is presented by this photo of #9964, glowing in the final stretches of twilight at Patapsco Station on Route #14. Thomas Reeves snapped this keeper in early 2000. Coach #0017 must bypass the Baltimore Street Service Drive at Hopkins Place as a result of Metro Subway construction at Charles Center. Adam Paul photo. Coach #0025 rests outside the body shop awaiting some prepping before it will be shipped off to Kirk Avenue on February 15, 2001. Adam Paul photo. Differences in the sign setup often led to early confusion, as many 0000s were seen in their first days operating with blank scrolls, and paper signs, such as coach #0026, seen here at Guilford Avenue and Centre Streets on route #36 in July of 2001. Route #44 now is often recipient of some of Kirk Avenue Yard's best equipment, such as #0038 seen here at Belvedere and Clearspring in October of 2001. Adam Paul Photo. Seeming out of place with the remote surroundings is coach #0052, seen here after making the "Greenwood" loop of Route M12. This route continues to survive, despite continued threats to its existence. Adam Paul photo. Coach #0063 prepares to swing the turn from 36th Street into Roland Avenue in August of 2001. The #27 line is a frequent assignment of the Bush Division coaches. Adam Paul photo. Awaiting it's sunrise departure is coach #0065, attired in the final Maryland MTA paint scheme. Here, the coach rests aside Camden Station while working route #27. Adam Paul photo. First day of service for the last set of 0000s was not until well into the Summer of 2001, when coach #0070 made its way East on Route #31 at Wilkens Avenue and Mount Street. Adam Paul photo. The Artics arrived near the end of 1997 (despite their numbering in the 9600 series) and were split between Bush and Northwest to give each division a total of 15 coaches. The Bush Street coaches were used for a revamping of Route #2. In their early days, the coaches could also be often observed here and there on the 3, 15, 20, 23, 27, 29, 31, 51, and 64 lines, but now are usually only spotted on the 2 and 23 lines exclusively. They have served their intended purpose well, making short work of loads of 80 to 100 people.
In 1998, another 65 NABIs arrived, spread evenly among the divisions. Despite some initial problems with leaking radiators and roofs, the coaches are at present the hardest working series on the street, almost certainly clocking more mileage than any other series of bus in the system. In 1998, the rear route number signs, which had often been problem plagued since 1988 once water saturated the control cable, were removed from new bus orders.
In 1999, MTA seemed to be finally making an annual pattern once again with its bus ordering with the delivery of 67 more NABIs. These buses have a new front desitnation sign made by Ballios Technologies Limited, that is AMBER rather than green. In addition, there are NO magnetic flip dots in these signs, meaning no moving parts. The effect is both good and bad. At night, and in shadows the signs are remarkably bright, although in direct sunlight, they can tend to have a washed out look to them. Since they are the newest vehicles in the fleet, there is a tendency among the divisions to hold some aside for use on the Commuter routes, and as a result, they generally rack up fewer miles than many of the older coaches.
In November of 2000, another set of NABI's began to arrive at the Carroll Park Shops. These coaches were largely similar to the 9900 series coaches, but are set up to use automated stop announcement technology installed by Clever Devices. The major distinguishing exterior mark on these coaches is the first window on the left side being shorter than the rest. This is to accomodate the new equipment installed behind the driver's area.
The 2000 order encounted a number of problems following delivery, from leaks to the signs, and were very slow to hit the streets. The last of the coaches did not enter service until nearly August of 2001, a lengthy lag time for such a pedestrian sized order. As a result of the length of this acceptance period, MTA and NABI grew largely divided on the issue, and the two agencies have pretty much severed most ties. An expected order of 0100's were cancelled, with a new bid being established not once but twice. It would not be until December of 2001 that bids would finally be finalized, with MTA now turning to NEOPLAN USA to furnish its next set of buses. It appears that the NABI era, once foreseen as one that could last for quite some time, has been cut short. The final total of 292 coaches will likely be the most the MTA will ever see on the property.
It now will be interesting to see how the NABIs will fare once they no longer become the most cared for aspect of the MTA fleet. Will their numbers approach the respectable performance of the likes of Flxible Metros, GM New Looks, or GM Old Looks? Will there still be a couple of 9700's runnable by the year 2015, or will the lifespan of the coaches fall well short of this longevity. Among the more doubtable members of the fleet are the 30 Articulated coaches, which are already showing some signs of hard service. When will the last of these head off to the scrapper? In any case, it will be interesting to wait and see.
NABI Fast Facts
- The 9500 series coaches are unique in starting off a series that is occupied by buses of two different manufacturers, by inclusion of the 9521-9539 Flxibles.
- Coach #9701 served as the Demonstrator for the Ballios Technologies signs starting in the Spring of 1999. The coach still retains this sign.
- Coach #9824 has already had a hard life, once losing brakes on the Northern Parkway hill, and once having a car barrell over the fence at Kirk Avenue on top of it!
- The numbering of the 2000 order was a great source of speculation among bus followers for the months preceeding delivery. Many originally foresaw a return to numbering coaches as 2000's, despite the conflict with Mobility coaches. Still ,the first two digit numbering system prevailed, and 0000s arrived, much to the dismay of many of the purists, including myself.
