D&F Transit, Incorporated

The Union Bus Terminal

D&F Transit, Incorporated

This is a brief history of D&F Transit covering its beginnings in 1953 to its merger with Niagara Scenic Bus Lines in 1986. Here you will find a partial roster of buses operated over the years, a timetable or two and a list of stations served grouped by route operated.

When founded on August 19,1953 by Donald Topliffe and Lloyd Swanson, D&F Transit had its beginnings as a school bus contractor with three school buses and acquired the local transit route between Dunkirk and Fredonia from Greyhound Lines in 1954. By 1957, the school bus contracting business grew to include not only the Dunkirk and Fredonia school districts, but those of several nearby communities as well. In 1962, the line run service grew into an interurban operation when D&F Transit acquired the Greyhound routes between Buffalo,Dunkirk,Jamestown,Westfield, and between Jamestown and Gowanda State Hospital. 5 years later, D&F Transit obtained authority to operate interstate service between Dunkirk and Erie,PA. By 1967 at the time this took place, the bus fleet grew to 17 buses. Prior to this, commuter service between Buffalo,Angola, and Lotus Bay began in 1965. At this time, D&F Transit's equipment for highway service consisted entirely of GMC highway and suburban coaches. By the time the 1960s ended, D&F Transit's route structure consisted of the following:

1.Buffalo-Dunkirk-Jamestown

2.Jamestown-Gowanda State Hospital

3.Dunkirk-Westfield-Erie

4.Dunkirk-Fredonia local service

5.Buffalo-Angola-Lotus Bay

During the 1980s, Greyhound's Buffalo-Lockport-Medina--Rochester route was added to this route structure as was a seasonal route from Buffalo to Darien Lake amusement park. By this time, MCI built coaches became the dominant make of highway coaches in the fleet, with the remaining GMCs used primarily for line work.The following station lists make up the final routes operated by D&F Transit before Niagara Scenic Bus Lines bought the company and merged it into its operations.

Table 1.Buffalo-Dunkirk-Jamestown

Buffalo,NY

Lackawanna

Athol Springs

Wanakah

Shaleton

Lakeview Jct.

18 Mile Creek

Jeruselem Corners

Evans Center

Angola

Block House

Irvfing Jct.

Silver Creek

Dunkirk

Fredonia

Laona

Cassadaga

Sinclairville

Gerry

Jamestown

Warren,PA (once a year)

Table 2. Rochester-Medina-Buffalo

Rochester

Gates

Elm Grove

Spencerport

Adams Basin

Main & College Streets

Brockport

Holley

Fancher

Albion

Medina

Middleport

Gasport

McNalls Corners

Lockport

Millersport

Buffalo International Airport

Buffalo,NY (Metro Terminal)

Table 3. Jamestown-Gowanda (Once a Month Only)

Jamestown

Falconer

Kennedy

East Randolph

Napoli

Little Valley

Ellington

Conewango Valley

Cherry Creek

South Dayton

J.N. Adams Hospital

Gowanda

State Hospital

Table 4. Dunkirk-Erie,PA (once a year)

Dunkirk

Brocton

Portland

Westfield

Ripley

State Line, NY-PA

North East,PA

Erie,PA

Of these routes, only the Buffalo-Dunkirk-Jamestown and Buffalo-Medina-Rochester routes were retained by Niagara Scenic in addition to NSB's own Airporter route between Niagara Falls,Ont and NY and Buffalo Airport. When Coach USA bought Niagara Scenic and Blue Bird Coach Lines in 1994, the Buffalo-Jamestown route was taken over by Empire Transit Lines, which has since also taken over the former Blue Bird routes between Jamestown and Olean and Olean and Buffalo as part of Coach USA Western New York.

Roster of Transit,Suburban and Highway Buses Operated by D&F Transit over the years:

GMC     TG 3609      36 seats     1944        27-30       4 buses

GMC     TGH3102     31 seats    1957         31-32       2 buses

GMC     TDM5108     49 seats    1959        59            1 bus

GMC     SDM4501     45 seats    1961    60,62,64,65 4 buses

GMC     PDA3702      37 seats   1944       86-87         2 buses

GMC     PD4104        41 seats    1954       102           1 bus

GMC     PD4103        41 seats    1952     103,106,107 3 buses

GMC     PD4106      39,41 seats 1963    110-111        2 buses, ex NFT

GMC    PD4106         41 seats     1965    163              1 bus

GMC    PD4106       39,41 seats 1964    641-644         4 buses, to NFTA in75.

GMC    PD4106         41 seats     1964     651              1 bus, to NFTA in1975.

GMC    PD4107         41 seats     1965    2nd 107        1 bus, to Grand Island

                                                                                    Transit as their 2nd

                                                                                    108.

GMC   PD4104         41 seats       ?                             1 bus, last PD4104 to be operated in line service in Western New York.

MCI      MC7            47 seats      1971    7112,7114       2 buses,fist MCI's

MCI      MC7            47 seats      1973    7300,7301       2 buses

MCI      MC8            47 seats      1974    7400-7401       2 buses

GMC    TDH4517     45 seats       1961   7403                1 bus

GMC    PD4108       41 seats       1975   7501                1 bus

MCI     MC8             47 seats      1975   7502                 1 bus

B&C    SE05            41 seats       1976 7601-7603         3 buses, ex CPB

MCI     MC8             47 seats      1978   7801                 1 bus

MCI     MC9             47 seats      1979   7901-7906         6 buses

GMC   PD4106         39 seats     1962    7908                 1 bus, last GMC

MCI     MC9             47 seats      1981   8101-8102          2 buses

MCI     MC5A           39 seats      1968 8105-8106           2 buses, ex GL

AE       AE10            41 seats      1982 8201-8202           2 buses, ex GL

MCI     MC9             47 seats      1982 8203-8204           2 buses

MCI     MC9             47 seats      1983 8301-8302           2 buses, last new buses delivered to D&F Transit. From Motor Coach Today, April-June 1997 issue. All MCI buses operated by D&F Transit were stick shift equipped with either Spicer 4 or 5 speed manual transmissions, making this fleet unique when everyone else switched to automatic transmissions. Only the MC9s went into Niagara Scenic's fleet while the 51 school buses went into Fisher Bus Service's fleet. All others were retired.