Portland METRO 8801

No. 8801 was built by Ohio based company Flxible in 1988 for Portland, Maine’s Metro System. With a Metro Style body and wheelchair lift, No. 8801 was made to accommodate handicapped passengers. Many drivers preferred this Metro Style body as compared to newer models because it was easier to drive with better visibility. This model was also lighter in weight than previous models, making it easier to manufacture and more fuel efficient. Later models featured a straight back wall instead of the traditional sloped back in order to accommodate a Carrier HVAC unit. Flxible manufactured buses and other vehicles starting in 1913 until 1996, becoming one of the largest transit bus manufacturers in the United States. In 1978 Flxible was sold to Grumman, where the company became known as Grumman-Flxible and was eventually sold again to General Automotive Corporation in 1983. Portland started operating streetcars in 1891 and built one of the largest electric railways in Maine, transporting more than 13 million passengers in 1904 and 24 million by 1915. Portland transitioned to buses around 1940. In 1969, the city-owned transit system was named the Greater Portland Transit District, which operated as “Metro” beginning in 1976. Seashore acquired No. 8801 in 2006 where it now joins four other Portland, Maine buses at Seashore: Nos. 4, 310, 504, and 700.