Disney Transport Bus Roster
Posted: Jul Wed 14, 2010 1:14 am
I have always been a huge fan of the WDW Transport Bus system. I did some research into figuring out the numbering system and was able to compile an almost complete listing of all the buses that WDW currently owns and operates:
2650-2663, 2680-2684, 2689: All retired and three were converted for use as the Character Caravan buses which went around to resorts bringing characters to the lobby. "Purple Stripers" - used for cast shuttles and training
2664 and 2665: Only 35' buses with the 2600 marking. Known as the "Pluto Shuttles" ran the manager shuttle from the Pluto parking lot
GMC RTS:
2701-2712: 1980 models 2708-2712 are 35' long
2713-2717: 1981 models that are all 35' long
2718-2738: 1982-1983 models with 2718-2720 being the last of the 35' buses. Rest are 40'
2739-2743: 1987 models
2744: 1980 model ex GMC production test bus.
****ALL THE ABOVE HAVE BEEN RETIRED****
2745-2780: 1979-1981 models that were bought used by Disney in 1998. They were completely rebuilt and are either ex Dayton Ohio, Detroit Michigan, or Miami Florida.
****ALL HAVE BEEN RETIRED FROM GUEST SERVICE****
TMC RTS:
4701-4727: 1988 Models (6/2012 4726 still seen transporting guests)
4728-4758: 1989 Models
4759-4780: 1990 Models
4781-4788: 1991 Models
4789-4804: 1992/1993 Models (unknown cutoff numbers)
4805-4814: 1994 Models
***ALL REMOVED FROM GUEST SERVICE***
NOVA LFS (low-floor)
4815-4832: 2000 Models
4833-4861: 2001 Models (4841 seen in new livery)
4862-4885: 2002 Models
***Leased new between 2000 and 2002. They are 40' in length and 102" wide***
4953: 2006 Model... prior Nova Demo bus acquired by Disney
5000-5009: 2010 models
Gillig Low Floor buses: 40' in length and 102" wide
4886-4929: 2004 models
4930-4952: 2006 models
4954-4962: 2007 models
4963-4983: 2008 models: Change in Fluorescent Tube to LED lighting starts.
4985-4999: 2009 models
5010-5022: 2010 models
5023-5069: 2011 models
5071-5120: 2012 models
5121-5145: 2013 models (all delivered in the grey paint with new graphics)
5158-5199: 2015 models (back to white with the new graphics; chrome wheels, newer destination signs)
5200-5206: 2016 models
5207-5212: 2017 models
5213-5288: 2019 models (Next generation buses now featuring character wraps with blue/grey seats and USB charging ports)
Articulated Buses: (all delivered in the grey paint with new graphics)
5146-5151: 2013 NFI XD60
5152-5157: 2013 Nova LFS ARTIC
Demo Buses:
4984: 2008 DesignLine Hybrid bus. It was a Demo and returned to DesignLine after being unsuccessful.
5070: 2012 Nova ARTIC demo bus. Tested on MK routes to value and moderate resorts. Returned after successful test.
SUMMER 2011 UPDATE:
I have gone ahead and updated the fleet roster with the numbers for the 2011 buses and the probable numbers for the rumored 42 Gillig Low Floor buses that are on order for 2012. The latest talk is to expand the fleet to be close to 400 buses which I find impossible as they are also talking about removing the RTS from front line service. The idea is to keep some around yet as spares and to have available if there was to be a major need for buses. I will say that I noticed a large decrease in the RTSs presence this year. I was only able to get one trip over my 13 days on an RTS. The Novas are out in full force along with the Gilligs now.
SUMMER 2012 UPDATE:
Fleet roster updated a little to reflect the changes and to adjust for the articulated demo bus over the spring. I also added the information regarding RTS buses with a "C" following the bus number. I left the information for the 2012 buses the same as last year with a note that the newest one I spotted was 5106. The RTS was out in full force this year with plenty around and in fact close to half of my trips were on RTSs. Makes me wonder if Disney was running them for one final time or is just going to run each bus that has no MIM until it breaks completely... We shall see. However, the RTS will carry on for another year or so buses like 4788 and higher still have their MIM system. I personally feel like there is a good chance of seeing a few of them around for at least the next year or two.
SUMMER 2013 UPDATE:
Updated the roster with my findings on my trip from 5/10 - 5/18. I was able to find out that the test with the articulated bus was relatively successful and there are 10 articulated buses on order that should join the fleet either later this year or sometime next year for use on the MK to value/moderate resorts routes. The success of the test is another reason why MK is seeing a new bus loop added at this moment. The 2013 buses are also due to start arriving during the summer and no number on how many were ordered. The RTS was still fully prevalent and I didn't see any sitting around idle. Probably some were disposed of already but there still were plenty around and transporting guests. It should be interesting as I do predict all the new buses will be coming in with the new scheme. There still are only one or two in it and they were only used for cast members when I was there.
SUMMER 2014 UPDATE:
Roster updated to match the current fleet and what I saw when there 7/17-7/23. As I predicted last year, the 2013 buses all came in with the new colors. The new buses will all be a silvery-grey with that red stripe so the bus look matches the drivers uniform again. Anybody remember the purple pants a few years ago? The old buses are gradually being transferred over to the new look. Seems like Disney is doing the sensible thing and doing the oldest buses first. The 2000-2002 Nova LFS' are the first to be seeing the new scheme. It looks like the buses being refurbished into the new scheme are going to remain painted white with the new markings. A few of the Nova LFS' were painted in silver, but I think those were the test buses first done to see the new colors. The RTS is barely alive right now. Just a few remaining and very seldom were they being used for guest routes. Most were just on the road for driver training. I personally never had one so this was my first trip to Disney World where I didn't have to walk up any steps onto the bus. No new 2014 buses were seen around the property. Shades of Green looks to have replaced the Novas with new Gilligs. Lots of buses both new and older had broken Magic in Motion systems with no announcements or music playing. So far reading back on my prior updates I have been pretty good in predicting. I assume most buses to be changed over to the new scheme within the next year so the big Disney in red and transit in purple will be a thing of the past very soon.
NEW YEARS 2014/2015 UPDATE:
No new buses for the 2014 calendar year. Fleet stands at 323 right now with all of the RTS fleet being gone. It felt weird not seeing the original Disney buses on property. 50 new buses are supposedly on order with 20 of them being the articulated buses.
SUMMER 2015 UPDATE:
Those 50 buses are on order and scheduled to arrive around the end of the year. These buses will be all for expanding the fleet to near 400 units. It also will be needed to reduce the stress on the bus fleet with the expanding hours of Animal Kingdom in the future. All of the current buses are expected to stay for the foreseeable future.
2021 UPDATE:
Wow so it's been a VERY long time since my last update so what's changed in the Disney Transport bus fleet: A LOT!
I was wrong in the buses all converting over to that 2013 scheme. It seemed like Disney was going to be quick in the change over but they were going ever so slowly. When 2019 hit the company decided to do something different and add some "character" to the buses. Started with placing large wraps on the buses for the fab five and after that it took off to extravagant wraps for characters/movies (Figment, UP, Cinderella, Aladdin, Pocahantas, Frozen, Lion King etc). Older Gillig's have started to receive wraps but are nowhere near as immersive and extravagant. So far the older buses are receiving more subdued wraps with only one window getting covered. Nova buses seemed to be becoming a bit rarer and a part of me is wondering if those are starting to be retired. The newest RTS buses were 20 years old at retirement and the NOVA LFS are hitting that mark now. No official word on retirement or replacement for those yet. Newest buses have blue/grey seating and feature USB charging ports. Estimate the fleet to be at around 470 buses right now if none of the older NOVA fleet were retired.
2650-2663, 2680-2684, 2689: All retired and three were converted for use as the Character Caravan buses which went around to resorts bringing characters to the lobby. "Purple Stripers" - used for cast shuttles and training
2664 and 2665: Only 35' buses with the 2600 marking. Known as the "Pluto Shuttles" ran the manager shuttle from the Pluto parking lot
GMC RTS:
2701-2712: 1980 models 2708-2712 are 35' long
2713-2717: 1981 models that are all 35' long
2718-2738: 1982-1983 models with 2718-2720 being the last of the 35' buses. Rest are 40'
2739-2743: 1987 models
2744: 1980 model ex GMC production test bus.
****ALL THE ABOVE HAVE BEEN RETIRED****
2745-2780: 1979-1981 models that were bought used by Disney in 1998. They were completely rebuilt and are either ex Dayton Ohio, Detroit Michigan, or Miami Florida.
****ALL HAVE BEEN RETIRED FROM GUEST SERVICE****
TMC RTS:
4701-4727: 1988 Models (6/2012 4726 still seen transporting guests)
4728-4758: 1989 Models
4759-4780: 1990 Models
4781-4788: 1991 Models
4789-4804: 1992/1993 Models (unknown cutoff numbers)
4805-4814: 1994 Models
***ALL REMOVED FROM GUEST SERVICE***
NOVA LFS (low-floor)
4815-4832: 2000 Models
4833-4861: 2001 Models (4841 seen in new livery)
4862-4885: 2002 Models
***Leased new between 2000 and 2002. They are 40' in length and 102" wide***
4953: 2006 Model... prior Nova Demo bus acquired by Disney
5000-5009: 2010 models
Gillig Low Floor buses: 40' in length and 102" wide
4886-4929: 2004 models
4930-4952: 2006 models
4954-4962: 2007 models
4963-4983: 2008 models: Change in Fluorescent Tube to LED lighting starts.
4985-4999: 2009 models
5010-5022: 2010 models
5023-5069: 2011 models
5071-5120: 2012 models
5121-5145: 2013 models (all delivered in the grey paint with new graphics)
5158-5199: 2015 models (back to white with the new graphics; chrome wheels, newer destination signs)
5200-5206: 2016 models
5207-5212: 2017 models
5213-5288: 2019 models (Next generation buses now featuring character wraps with blue/grey seats and USB charging ports)
Articulated Buses: (all delivered in the grey paint with new graphics)
5146-5151: 2013 NFI XD60
5152-5157: 2013 Nova LFS ARTIC
Demo Buses:
4984: 2008 DesignLine Hybrid bus. It was a Demo and returned to DesignLine after being unsuccessful.
5070: 2012 Nova ARTIC demo bus. Tested on MK routes to value and moderate resorts. Returned after successful test.
SUMMER 2011 UPDATE:
I have gone ahead and updated the fleet roster with the numbers for the 2011 buses and the probable numbers for the rumored 42 Gillig Low Floor buses that are on order for 2012. The latest talk is to expand the fleet to be close to 400 buses which I find impossible as they are also talking about removing the RTS from front line service. The idea is to keep some around yet as spares and to have available if there was to be a major need for buses. I will say that I noticed a large decrease in the RTSs presence this year. I was only able to get one trip over my 13 days on an RTS. The Novas are out in full force along with the Gilligs now.
SUMMER 2012 UPDATE:
Fleet roster updated a little to reflect the changes and to adjust for the articulated demo bus over the spring. I also added the information regarding RTS buses with a "C" following the bus number. I left the information for the 2012 buses the same as last year with a note that the newest one I spotted was 5106. The RTS was out in full force this year with plenty around and in fact close to half of my trips were on RTSs. Makes me wonder if Disney was running them for one final time or is just going to run each bus that has no MIM until it breaks completely... We shall see. However, the RTS will carry on for another year or so buses like 4788 and higher still have their MIM system. I personally feel like there is a good chance of seeing a few of them around for at least the next year or two.
SUMMER 2013 UPDATE:
Updated the roster with my findings on my trip from 5/10 - 5/18. I was able to find out that the test with the articulated bus was relatively successful and there are 10 articulated buses on order that should join the fleet either later this year or sometime next year for use on the MK to value/moderate resorts routes. The success of the test is another reason why MK is seeing a new bus loop added at this moment. The 2013 buses are also due to start arriving during the summer and no number on how many were ordered. The RTS was still fully prevalent and I didn't see any sitting around idle. Probably some were disposed of already but there still were plenty around and transporting guests. It should be interesting as I do predict all the new buses will be coming in with the new scheme. There still are only one or two in it and they were only used for cast members when I was there.
SUMMER 2014 UPDATE:
Roster updated to match the current fleet and what I saw when there 7/17-7/23. As I predicted last year, the 2013 buses all came in with the new colors. The new buses will all be a silvery-grey with that red stripe so the bus look matches the drivers uniform again. Anybody remember the purple pants a few years ago? The old buses are gradually being transferred over to the new look. Seems like Disney is doing the sensible thing and doing the oldest buses first. The 2000-2002 Nova LFS' are the first to be seeing the new scheme. It looks like the buses being refurbished into the new scheme are going to remain painted white with the new markings. A few of the Nova LFS' were painted in silver, but I think those were the test buses first done to see the new colors. The RTS is barely alive right now. Just a few remaining and very seldom were they being used for guest routes. Most were just on the road for driver training. I personally never had one so this was my first trip to Disney World where I didn't have to walk up any steps onto the bus. No new 2014 buses were seen around the property. Shades of Green looks to have replaced the Novas with new Gilligs. Lots of buses both new and older had broken Magic in Motion systems with no announcements or music playing. So far reading back on my prior updates I have been pretty good in predicting. I assume most buses to be changed over to the new scheme within the next year so the big Disney in red and transit in purple will be a thing of the past very soon.
NEW YEARS 2014/2015 UPDATE:
No new buses for the 2014 calendar year. Fleet stands at 323 right now with all of the RTS fleet being gone. It felt weird not seeing the original Disney buses on property. 50 new buses are supposedly on order with 20 of them being the articulated buses.
SUMMER 2015 UPDATE:
Those 50 buses are on order and scheduled to arrive around the end of the year. These buses will be all for expanding the fleet to near 400 units. It also will be needed to reduce the stress on the bus fleet with the expanding hours of Animal Kingdom in the future. All of the current buses are expected to stay for the foreseeable future.
2021 UPDATE:
Wow so it's been a VERY long time since my last update so what's changed in the Disney Transport bus fleet: A LOT!
I was wrong in the buses all converting over to that 2013 scheme. It seemed like Disney was going to be quick in the change over but they were going ever so slowly. When 2019 hit the company decided to do something different and add some "character" to the buses. Started with placing large wraps on the buses for the fab five and after that it took off to extravagant wraps for characters/movies (Figment, UP, Cinderella, Aladdin, Pocahantas, Frozen, Lion King etc). Older Gillig's have started to receive wraps but are nowhere near as immersive and extravagant. So far the older buses are receiving more subdued wraps with only one window getting covered. Nova buses seemed to be becoming a bit rarer and a part of me is wondering if those are starting to be retired. The newest RTS buses were 20 years old at retirement and the NOVA LFS are hitting that mark now. No official word on retirement or replacement for those yet. Newest buses have blue/grey seating and feature USB charging ports. Estimate the fleet to be at around 470 buses right now if none of the older NOVA fleet were retired.
