Optima Bus Corporation
Encyclopedia
Optima Bus, LLC, formerly Chance Coach Inc., is a brand of small transit buses manufactured by North American Bus Industries
. It was established in 1976 in Wichita, Kansas
.
It was originally the trolley and bus production business of Chance Industries Inc. In 1998, Chance Coach, Inc. was sold to American Capital Strategies
, which rebranded the company as Optima Bus Corporation in 2003. American Capital subsequently sold Optima to North American Bus Industries
, who closed the Kansas assembly plant on August 8, 2007 with production moved to their existing plant in Anniston, Alabama
. The brand name continues to be used.
Opus ISE series hybrid
There is a hybrid
Opus version, called Opus ISE Series Hybrid Buses.
It utilizes ISE
-Siemens ThunderVolt hybrid technology built around Siemens
ELFA motor
s, generator
s and inverters
.
and Canada
.
North American Bus Industries
North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston, Alabama. NABI was founded in 1992 when the Hungarian firm Ikarus Bus, a key bus supplier to Central, Eastern Europe, spun off a majority share of their American operations to...
. It was established in 1976 in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
It was originally the trolley and bus production business of Chance Industries Inc. In 1998, Chance Coach, Inc. was sold to American Capital Strategies
American Capital Strategies
American Capital is an alternative asset management company based in Bethesda, Maryland. Founded in 1986 and publicly traded since 1997, American Capital is the largest U.S. publicly traded private equity fund and one of the largest publicly traded alternative asset managers...
, which rebranded the company as Optima Bus Corporation in 2003. American Capital subsequently sold Optima to North American Bus Industries
North American Bus Industries
North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston, Alabama. NABI was founded in 1992 when the Hungarian firm Ikarus Bus, a key bus supplier to Central, Eastern Europe, spun off a majority share of their American operations to...
, who closed the Kansas assembly plant on August 8, 2007 with production moved to their existing plant in Anniston, Alabama
Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States.As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741...
. The brand name continues to be used.
Current
- Opus: under 30' or under 35' low-floor busLow-floor busA low-floor bus is a bus that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. Being low floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly or infirm, or those with push chairs, and increasingly, those in wheelchairs.In the modern...
, design based on WrightbusWrightbusWrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
bodywork - American Heritage Streetcar AH-28 - trolley body on bus chassis
Opus ISE series hybrid
There is a hybrid
Hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...
Opus version, called Opus ISE Series Hybrid Buses.
It utilizes ISE
ISE
ISE may refer to:Organizations:* Information Sharing Environment, established by the U.S. Congress as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004* Institute for Social Ecology...
-Siemens ThunderVolt hybrid technology built around Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
ELFA motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s, generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
s and inverters
Inverter (electrical)
An inverter is an electrical device that converts direct current to alternating current ; the converted AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits....
.
Historic
Chance manufacturered the Sunliner trams, an open air towed tram used at various parks zoos in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.