AM General
AM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana that built buses for a short period of time. In 1971, AM General acquired the rights to produce the Flyer Industries D700A in the United States. AM General redesigned the D700A with a new front and rear as well as larger side windows. This model, called the Metropolitan, entered production in 1974.
At the same time AM General entered into their agreement with Flyer, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) launched the Transbus program. This program sought to develop a standardized bus design that would replace the current so-called "new look" designs. In 1972, the UMTA signed a contract with General Motors (GM), Flxible (owned by Rohr Industries), and AM General to produce prototypes built to Transbus specification. [1]
However, the future of the Transbus project became uncertain by the mid-1970s as concerns rose over development and production costs. By this time, both GM and Flxible had developed their "Advanced Design Buses" that incorporated features of the Transbus project, but would cost less and enter production sooner. GM introduced their RTS-II prototype in 1975, and Flxible introduced their 870 prototype the following year. A consortium of transit agencies elected to procure the new advanced design bus from GM with the approval of the UMTA. While AM General had a Transbus design, they did not have an advanced design bus to compete. They decided to exit the bus market and produced their last bus in 1979.[1]
Models
Diesel Transit Bus
- Metropolitan (1974-1978)
- AM General-MAN SG-220 (1978-1979)
- Transbus (prototype)
Electric Trolley Bus
- 10240-T (1979)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Office of Bus and Paratransit Systems, United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Office of Technical Assistance, and Transportation Systems Center. Energy and Environment Office. Transit Bus Manufacturer Profiles. , 1982.