General Motors TH-8603

GMC TH-8603/T8H-603
Years of manufacture	1978 to 1980
Length	40 feet
Width	96 inches
Power/Fuel	Diesel

The General Motors TH-8603 is a Rapid Transit Series transit bus of the General Motors RTS-03 generation. The model breakdown is as follows: T signifies a transit model, 8 signifies a 40 foot length, H signifies the use of a Detroit Diesel 8V71N engine, 6 signifies a 96 inch width, and the 03 signifies the generation.

The model was later redesignated during the middle of production to T8H-603.

556 buses were built.

Operators

United States

• Cedar Rapids Transit - Cedar Rapids, IA
• Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) - Charlotte, NC
• Duluth Transit Authority - Duluth, MN
• Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA Flint) - Flint, MI
• Gary Public Transportation Corporation (GPTC) - Gary, IN
• Greater Bridgeport Transit District (The People Mover) - Bridgeport, CT
• Green Bus Lines - Jamaica, NY
• Mass Transit Administration (MTA) - Baltimore, MD
• Metro Area Transit - Omaha, NE
• Montebello Municipal Bus Lines - Montebello, CA
• Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) - Nashville, TN
• NFTA Metro - Buffalo & Niagara Frontier Region, NY
• Queens Surface Corporation - Queens, NY
• Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) - Rochester, NY
• Spokane Transit Authority - Spokane, WA
• Westchester County Department of Transportation - Westchester County, NY

Demonstrator/Engineering Units

• List of known demonstrator and engineering buses

Fleet Number	Thumbnail	Year	VIN	Engine	Transmission	Notes
200		1978	066	Detroit Diesel 8V71N		MTA demonstrator. Sold to Spokane Transit Authority 149 in November 1978.
331		April 1979	331	Detroit Diesel 8V71N		GM Engineering bus.
387		December 1979	387	Detroit Diesel 8V71N		GM Oldsmobile Division (Lansing, MI).
459		January 1980	A459	Detroit Diesel 8V71N		GM Engineering bus.
1000		1978	067	Detroit Diesel 8V71N		Originally built for GMOO. Green Bus Lines/Triboro Coach Corporation demonstrator. Sold to Spokane Transit Authority 150 in December 1978.

Preserved Coaches

Year	Thumbnail	Serial	Original Owner	Fleet Number	Current Owner
1979		122	MTA Maryland	3336	MTA Maryland as a roadeo bus.
1980		A465	MTA Maryland	3366	Private owner.
1980		A488	MTA Maryland	3389	Private owner.

References

• Ohio Musium of Transportation TH-8603/T8H-603 Production Listings, omot.com, retrieved on 2009-07-05
• Personal notes & sightings