Grumman Flxible 870

**Power/Fuel** | Diesel

The **Grumman Flxible 870** was a high floor transit bus produced in the United States. In the last year of production, the 870 became known as the **Grumman Metro**. Grumman sold Flxible to General Automotive Corporation in 1983 and production of the Metro continued under the Flxible name (see Flxible Metro).

## Design history

The 870 can be seen as the final iteration of a new and innovative transit bus that Rohr, the parent company of Flxible, began working on in the early 1970s. The first bus was dubbed the "Hi Value" bus and was meant to be lightweight as well as cost effective to manufacture. Rohr was also a participant in the Urban Mass Transit Association's (UMTA) Transbus program. The goal was to design a bus that was lightweight, comfortable, and accessible to the elderly and disabled.

The Rohr Transbus had tandem front and rear axles with low profile tires. The under-45-foot-long bus had a one-step floor height of 22 inches as mandated by the UMTA to offer easier access. The bus had large, deeply tinted, flush-mounted windows and air conditioning to improve comfort. Three buses were shown off around the United States. However, the future of the Transbus project became uncertain by 1976 as concerns rose over development and production costs.

Both General Motors and Rohr announced their intention to to produce so-called "Advanced Design Buses" (ADB) in the interim. The General Motors RTS and the Grumman Flxible 870 incorporated features of the Transbus project, but would cost less and enter production sooner. The UMTA conceded that a 24-inch floor height achieved through a combination of lowered floor height and kneeling feature would be acceptable to qualify for federally funded procurements.

The 870 featured contemporary angular styling. Like the Transbus design, it had large, tinted flush-mounted passenger windows. It also had a lower floor height than previous buses and was equipped with a wheelchair lift. The bus's aluminum side panels were attached with hidden fasteners.

Rohr sold Flxible in January 1978 to Grumman, which became Grumman Flxible. The 870 soon entered production and the Flxible New Look was discontinued. In September of that year, a consortium comprising of Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia issued a tender under Transbus specification. However, no manufacture responded with a bid. Grumman Flxible cited the risks involved in producing the Transbus design outweighed the benefits.

The New York City Transit Authority placed an order for 851 Grumman Flxible 870 buses. Built in 1980, this order brought to light a design flaw in the frame design of the 870. Serious cracks that developed forced the buses from service and prompted legal action between Grumman, Rohr and the transit authority. Grumman agreed to rectify the problem on the existing buses. According to a Grumman spokesperson, engineers had designed the undercarriage of the 870 to save weight. This was a new design consideration for buses at the time, and they did not anticipate the metal fatigue the buses experienced on the poor road conditions in New York.

Grumman submitted an 870 to tests on what they believed to be one of the more deteriorated streets in New York. Data collected from the tests was used to redesign the frame of the bus. The redesigned 870 became known as the Grumman Metro. It would continue to be built under the Flxible name after Grumman sold Flxible to General Automotive Corporation in 1983.

## Models

The model designations carried over from the third generation Flxible New Looks:

**1.** Some 1981–1983 units used the Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, including 1981 models which went to New Jersey Transit and Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines.

**2.** Some 1978–1981 units used Cummins VTB903, including a few from 1978 which went to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

Beginning in April 1980, the model designation was revised, with the first two digits now indicating length instead of nominal seating capacity:

## Specifications

**Engine**

* Cummins VTB-903 250 hp
* Detroit Diesel 6V71T 190 hp
* Detroit Diesel 8V71TA(E) 250 hp
* Detroit Diesel 6V92TA 253 hp

**Transmission**

* Allison V730

## Operators

### Canada

* Autocar Dupont Tours
* Brantford Transit - Brantford, ON
* Caledon Transit - Bolton, ON
* Clarington Transit - Clarington, ON
* Fort McMurray Transit - Fort McMurray, AB
* Guelph Transit  - Guelph, ON
* Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) - Hamilton, ON
* London Transit Commission (LTC) - London, ON
* Niagara Transit - Niagara, ON
* Transit Windsor - Windsor, ON
* Vaughan Transit - Vaughan, ON

### Mexico

* Transportes de Baja California Azul y Blanco, J. Magallanes, S.A. de C.V. - Tijuana, Baja California

### United States

* ABQ RIDE - Albuquerque, NM
* Academy Bus Lines - Hoboken, NJ
* Ann Arbor Transportation Authority - Ann Arbor, MI
* Atlantic City Transportation Company - Atlantic City, NJ
* Bay Metro Transit - Bay City, MI
* Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority (BARTA) - Reading, PA
* Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority - Birmingham & Jefferson County, AL
* Broome County Transit (B.C. Transit)- Binghamton, NY
* Broward County Transit - Fort Lauderdale & Broward County, FL
* Cambria County Transit Authority (CamTran) - Johnstown, Cambria County & Somerset County, PA
* Cambus (University of Iowa Transit) - Iowa City, IA
* Canton Regional Transit Authority - Canton, OH
* Capital Area Transit - Raleigh, NC
* Central Florida Regional Transit Authority (LYNX) - Orlando, FL
* Central Ohio Transit Authority - Columbus & Franklin County, OH
* Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District - Champaign and Urbana, IL
* Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) - Charlotte, NC
* Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) - Burlington, VT
* City of Santa Clarita Transit - Santa Clarita, CA
* Coach USA - Paramus, NJ
* Colonial Williamsburg Shuttle - Williamsburg, VA
* CT Transit - Stamford, Hartford & New Haven, CT
* CoTran - Palm Beach County, FL
* Culver CityBus - Culver City, CA
* Decatur Public Transit System - Decatur, IL
* Double A Transportation - Rocky Hill, CT
* Fresno Transit - Fresno, CA
* Green Bus Lines - Jamaica, NY
* Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART)- Tampa & Hillsborough County, FL
* Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) - Jacksonville, FL
* Jamaica Buses - Jamaica, NY
* Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (RideKC) - Kansas City, Missouri
* Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) - Knoxville, TN
* Las Vegas Transit System - Las Vegas, NV
* Metro Area Transit (MAT) - Fargo, ND
* Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority - Atlanta, GA
* Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York City Transit Authority and Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority) - New York, NY
* MTA Maryland - Baltimore, MD
* NJ Transit - New Jersey
* New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) - New Orleans, LA
* North County Transit District (NCTD) - Oceanside & North San Diego County, CA
* Oneonta Public Transit (OPT) - Oneonta, NY
* OCTA - Orange County, CA
* Red Apple Transit - Hoboken, NJ
* Regional Transportation Authority Suburban Bus Division (PACE) - Suburban Chicago, IL
* Rutgers University - New Brunswick, NJ
* Palm Tran - Palm Beach County, FL
* Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) - Springfield & Holyoke, MA
* Private Transportation - Brooklyn, NY
* Queens Surface Corporation - Queens, NY
* Regional Transit Service - Riverside, CA
* San Francisco MUNI - San Francisco, CA
* Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority - San Jose & Santa Clara County, CA
* Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Santa Cruz Metro) - Santa Cruz, CA
* Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines - Santa Monica, CA
* Santa Rosa CityBus - Santa Rosa, CA
* Sheboygan Transit System - Sheboygan, WI
* Sioux City Transit - Sioux City, IA
* Sonoma County Transit - Sonoma County, CA
* South Coast Area Transit - Ventura County, CA
* Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) - Cincinnati, OH
* StarTran - Lincoln, NE
* Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) - (Suburban) Detroit, MI
* The Rapid - Grand Rapids, MI
* Tidewater Regional Transit Authority - Virgina Beach & Norfolk, VA
* Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) - Toledo, OH
* Transit Authority of River City (TARC) - Louisville, KY
* Triboro Coach Corporation - Jackson Heights, NY
* Valley Metro - Roanoke, VA
* Wichita Transit - Wichita, KS
* World Transportation - Orlando, FL

## Demonstrator/engineering units

Below is a list of demonstrator and engineering buses

## References

1. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/22/nyregion/grumman-s-flxible-to-become-a-metro.html
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Katzman, Robert A. Institutional Disability: The Saga of Transportation Policy for the Disabled. 1986 Brookings Institution Press: Washington.
3. ↑ Dunlap, David W. 10 October 1981. Grumman Finds Perfectly Aged Potholes for Testing Buses. *The New York Times*. Chicago, IL.