Problems with Orion VI?

[busfan4022]

Im hearing a lot of very bad things about the Orion VIs. there are people sayin bad things bout them, and i dont see why. Orion VI,s are efficent to me. i really dont have a problem with them. Where they having problems while they were made?? I ride route #386 almost every weekend.And the bus is all ways clean and smooth running. And for the NABIS there more efficent than cta's(imo).

[Busjack]

I haven't heard about any mechanical problems. Some people say that the suspensions aren't too good, but they say that about all low floor buses. In the Northwest area, they must be using lousy diesel fuel, since there is usually a soot deposit around the rear fleet number. Also, because of the longitudinal seating on the right side, there is less seating capcity than on any other 40 foot bus.

The CNG ones in Toronto had safety problems, according to come.to/torontobus. The Pace ones were built after that, and apparently don't have those bugs (maybe because they are not CNG). However, Toronto's complaints resulted in the formulation of the Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines and the development of the Orion VII, which Toronto now purchases.

I'm not going into my defamation rant again, but it seems like "people saying bad things" about everything that is purchased today (including the NABIs and the 400 series Metra locomotives). CTA said what its problems with the 7500 series NABIs were, but if someone is going to badmouth a product, at least say what the specific complaints are. In any event, if the Orion VIs were that bad, NW and SW divisions would have hardly any running equipment.

[RIPTA42]

I have heard from a couple sources, none of them official, that they're more prone to overheating because of the engine arrangement, and I saw at least three leaving Jefferson Park on tow trucks over the course of last summer.

NYCTA already retired their hybrid-electic Orion VIes, but I'm pretty sure it was due to reliability and parts availability problems with the hybrid drive, not with the bus itself. They were essentially demonstrators for the hybrid propulsion system, anyway.

[Busjack]

The site I previously mentioned, as well as some discussion groups mentioned on that page and the gallery at Mike's Transit Stop indicate that Toronto is retiring its Orion VIs, even though they are about 8 years old. We can't say they were in service for 8 years, because both report that they were out of service several times during that interim (see the bottom of Mike's page, for instance). The problems appear to be inadequate wheels and suspensions, inadequate floor strength, and a couple of engine fires. (Meanwhile Toronto is still running New Looks, although, to be fair, Canadian production of them continued for at least 5 years after it stopped in the U.S., and those buses have been frequently rebuilt.)

Just shows that "one man's trash is another's treasure." Here we think the Orion VIs are good and the NABIs are junk, while various California agencies continue to buy 60-BRTs.

[qwantae]

Im hearing a lot of very bad things about the Orion VIs. there are people sayin bad things bout them, and i dont see why. Orion VI,s are efficent to me. i really dont have a problem with them. Where they having problems while they were made?? I ride route #386 almost every weekend.And the bus is all ways clean and smooth running. And for the NABIS there more efficent than cta's(imo).

I dont see what the problem with the orion IVs, they are so far the Best Low Floors- smoothly, faster that Pace has, Of course Way better than those Jumpy Crappy NABI LFSes, I think people are complaining with the orion IVs because of the Rear Doors takes about 10 seconds to close. But I love em the same I love those Nova Classics and Older Orion Is.