Blue Bird Coach Lines, Inc.

Blue Bird Coach Lines, Inc.

Blue Bird Coach Lines originated in 1915 as Blue Bird Taxicab Company, founded by Joseph Magnano and later got into the transit bus business and charter coach business during the late 1920s ang 1940s. In 1963, as Blue Bird's charter and tour coach business grew, the company got into regular route intercity business as well, acquiring from Greyhound, the Buffalo-East Aurora-Olean, Buffalo-Hamburg-Salamanca-Bradford, and Olean-Bradford-Salamanca routes. In 1967, Blue Bird acquired the operating assets and rights of Chautauqua Transit Company, whose regular route service extended from Jamestown to Westfield, NY. As a result, Blue Bird extended its east west route to Jamestown as well. At about the same time, interchange service agreements were reached with Hudson Transit Lines on connecting and pool service between Olean,Elmira,Binghamton, and New York, a service that continues today. In addition to its charter and tour service, and regular line service, Blue Bird Coach Lines also operated a sizeable fleet of school buses, which served school districts in Olean and nearby communities as well as a number of other communities along Blue Bird's highway routes. The final expansion of the route network came in 1981 when Blue Bird began operating daily line service between Jamestown,Olean, Perry,Geneseo and Rochester, with the Jamestown round trip operating daily, and a Rochester-Olean trip operating every day, except Saturday. For a time, service was extended to Syracuse as well. This came to an end in 1991 when Blue Bird got out of the line run business, except for the Buffalo-Olean route, which was restructured to service the Walden Galleria shopping mall and Greater Buffalo=Niagara International Airport as well. A startup operator, Imperial Coach Lines, assumed operation of the Olean-Salamanca-Jamestown route. That company later became Empire Transit Lines, now a part of Coach USA Western New York, which acquired Blue Bird Coach Lines along with Niagara Scenic Bus Lines in 1994, thus ending a proud 75 history of Blue Bird's serving the people of Western New York as a result of the Magnano family, which owned Blue Bird from the start, selling out. What follows is an all time roster of transit and highway buses operated by Blue Bird Coach Lines over the years. The school bus fleet is not included as that operation was an entirely different beast from Blue Bird's primary business, charter and tour service as well as its limited line service.

ALL TIME HIGHWAY AND TRANSIT BUS ROSTER

Make Model Year(s) Bus Numbers No. of Buses

GMC PG 2904 1946-47 111,113 2

GMC TGH2708 1939 114 1

GMC TGH3101/02 1951/53 115,116 2

Flxible 25B1-46 1946 118 1

Aerocoach P372MC 1949 119 1

GMC TGH3101 1951 120 1

GMC PDA3703 1948 121 1

GMC PD4104 1955 122 1

GMC PD4103 1951 124-125 2

Beck Mainliner ? 133 1

GMC PD4104 1956 136 1

GMC PD4103 1942 137-140 4

GMC PD4104 1956-58 141-148 8

GMC PD4106 1964 149-150 2

GMC PD4106 1965 153-155 3

GMC TDH4519 1966 164-165 2

GMC PD4107 1967 166-170 4

GMC PD4104 1958 171 1

GMC SDM5302 1965 174 1

GMC PD4104 1953-4 175-179 5

GMC TDH4512 1956 182-183 2

GMC PD4905 1970 187-189,193-196 7

GMC P8M4905A 1972-3 200-211 12***

GMC P8M4905A 215-217 3

GMC PD4104 1957 227 1

GMC TDM4515 1955 236-240 5

MCI MC8 1975 241-246 5

GMC P8M4905A 1975 247-250 4

GMC T6H4523N 1974-5 251-252,259-260 4

MCI MC8 1975 261-164 4

GMC PD4106 1962 290 1

GMC TDH3302A 1973 291 1

GMC TDH4519 1965=6 292-294 3

GMC T6H4521 1970/77 295-296 2

MCI MC8 1977 300-308 9

GMC SDH4502 1978 319-321 3

MCI MC9 1979-80 332-335,353-365 17

Prevost LM103 1980 388 1

B&C Eagle 01 1964 389-390 2

MCI MC9 1981 400-414 15

MCI MC5/5A 1967-68 424-425 2

MCI MC9 1981 430-432 3

MCI MC9 1982 459-473 15

GMC TDH4519 1966 509-533 25

GMC PD4107 534-538 5

MCI MC9 1983 545-550 6

MCI MC9 1984 573-576 4

****Coach 208 dubbed "Prestige I with reduced seating capacity and equipped with galley and provision for service attendant. Only such bus in this group so equipped. This was the first of several ultraluxury coaches that Blue Bird operated into its final years of independent operation. Others were Odyssey, which was a converted MC8 and a pair of Prevost LM103s VIP 6 and 7, both delivered in 1980, which were the last of this special breed of charter coach. Gaps in numbers here were filled by school buses and/or passenger vans. Blue Bird's final coach deliveries included MCI 96A3s,102a/b/c3s and Prevosts.

Present Day Schedules as operated by Coach USA of Western New York- Blue Bird Routes. These are condensed schedules.

Station WD SAT. WD Sat Sun. WD

Buffalo L 0730 1020 1300 1630 1800 1830

Olean A 0945 1250 1515 1900 2030 2030

Table 1B. Olean to Buffalo

Station WD Sat. WD Sat. Sun WD

Olean L 0515 0735 1015 1330 1500 1600

Buffalo A 0715 1005 1215 1600 1715 1810

These trips make additional stops that are not shown in these tables. Complete schedules can be found in any current issue of Russell's Bus Guide or timetable can be secured from ticket agent.

Table 2. Olean-Jamestown Route (All trips daily)

Olean Mall Lv 0900 1830

TLC Sunoco Lv 0905 1835

Jamestown Ar 1040 2010

Table 2B. Jamestown to Olean

Jamestown Lv 0645 1645

Olean-TLC SunAr. 0820 1830

List of Agents on Buffalo-Olean Blue Bird Route

1.Buffalo Metro Transit Center 181 Ellicott Street

2.East Aurora Kelsey's Jewlers 696 Main St. Ph. 716-652-0480

3.Holland Holland Pharmacy 19 N. Main Ph. 716-537-2822

4.Arcade Arcade & Attica RR 278 Main St. Ph 585-492-3100

5.Machias,Lil's Deli Phone 716-353-4607

6.Olean Primo Limo 301 S. Union Street, Ph 716-372-4546

Note 1. Buffalo also serves ex D&F Transit Buffalo -Jamestown Route.

Note 2. Olean also serves Olean -Jamestown Route.

Note 3. Jamestown serves both routes.