A 1978 Grand River Transit bus that was recently donated to the Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation (CTHF) will get a new life on the big screen thanks to a Canadian company that supplies "road ready" historic buses to the film and television industry.
GRT posted the story of the bus on its social media channels earlier this month with a photo of the hand-cranked destination sign that was common before newer buses came with digital signs.
Old Unit 793 made its last run in Waterloo region back in 2005 and has been in storage at the Transit Operations Centre on Strasburg Road ever since.
The bus is a 1978 model D800 manufactured by Flyer Industries (now New Flyer Inc.). It was first purchased by Kitchener Transit and became part of the GRT fleet when the region-wide service was created in 2000.
It will join the fleet of 10 modern and vintage buses at Orion Picture Bus, which claims to have built Canada's largest collection of "road-ready" historic buses for "all your cinematic mass transportation needs."
The Toronto business, which supplies buses for use in movies, was started by two collectors who have had a passion for buses since an early age.
Once the restoration work on 793 is complete, the bus will join OBP’s vintage fleet.
Restoration of the bus is planned for completion in 2024.
