In neighborhoods with narrow, windy streets, Muni has long used shorter, narrower buses to provide community service. But major bus manufacturers usually do not offer smaller versions of their products. This has forced Muni to purchase from lesser known vendors, with mixed results over the decades.

In 1991, Muni bought 31’7″-long, 8′ wide diesel coaches from Orion of Ontario (assembled in Union City, CA) to replace the 35′ long AMGeneral fleet from the mid-1970s (represented in Muni’s collection by Coach 4154). These 45 shorter, narrower buses worked better on the narrow streets on several lighter-ridership lines.

The last of this group of coaches was retired from active service in 2007, but Coach 9010’s compact size makes it a popular choice for community events, keeping it in the public eye.

Thanks to Paul Bignardi’s A Fleet History of the San Francisco Municipal Railway for the information. His book is available at our San Francisco Railway Museum.