New York City Transit bus 4901


RTS-04 (T80-206) bus no. 4901

No. 4901 is a RTS -04 (T80-206) bus built by Nova Bus in 1998 for New York City Transit. It is a RTS bus, a model first introduced to the public transportation market in the late-1970s. New York City Transit purchased its first RTS bus in 1981 and would purchase many more throughout the 1980s and 1990s for its extensive bus system.

No. 4901 was one of two buses delivered in the spring of 1998, being used as a demonstrator for Kingsbridge Depot routes in Bronx, New York. It officially entered passenger service on June 10, 1998 for Queens Village Depot in Queens Village, NY.

After over 20 years of service, no. 4901 retired on April 11, 2019 from Jamaica Depot in Queens. New York City Transit was one of the last agencies in the nation to use RTS buses in service. Today, no. 4901 serves as an example of a long-lasting and dependable bus model that carried passengers throughout cities for over 40 years.

Since retirement, no. 4901 has prticipated in a number of events, including the 2019 SEPTA Bus Rodeo in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

A special thank you goes out to New York City Transit president Andy Byford for recognizing the historical significance of preserving the bus, and for making this acquisition possible. If it wasn’t for him, this bus would never have been saved.