Orion VII in Mississauga - through the years

[DaimlerBuses]

Mississauga, Ontario's transit system, MiWay operates a fleet of 470 buses, including some Orion VIIs. Beginning in April 2002, Mississauga Transit took delivery of 14 Orion VII buses (0101-0114). These 14 buses were the first production order of Orion VIIs produced for a customer and were powered by a Detroit DieselS50EGR engine and Allison B400R transmission, common for diesel VIIs in that time period. Mississauga paid the price for being the first customers of the Orion VII as the order was a year late being delivered from the factory due to many early design and manufacturing issues. When placed in service the units were plagued with many issues, the most serious being a number of fires over the years (3 of the 14 units had fires), plumbing, electrical issues, etc. The late delivery combined with all the issues really soured the relationship between Mississauga and Orion for some time. These buses were not well liked by both drivers and maintenance staff and were retired earlier than usual in late 2012 after just over 10 years of service.

 

 

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In 2010, Mississauga Transit, now rebranded as MiWay, took delivery of 35 Orion VII buses, their first order from Orion in 9 years. The order was the first Orion VIIs with the EPA10 "3G" design changes. 20 of the buses (1001-1020) were diesel powered and featured the new BRT roofline styling option. As well the interior features reading lights and power outlets for extra customer amenities. These buses use Cummins ISL and the ZF EcoLife transmission. 

 

 

The other 15 Orion VIIs delivered in 2010 (1031-1045) were hybrid buses which use the standard Cummins ISB and BAE HybriDrive propulsion system. These buses are painted in the orange 'MiLocal' paint scheme and appear through the system.

 

 

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In 2012, MiWay took delivery of an additional 15 Orion VII BRT buses (1201-1215). Unlike the 2010 units, these buses are powered by Cummins ISL and Voith D864.5 transmission. They also feature disc brakes and the EMP electric cooling fan system.