Nova Bus · 1996–present

Toronto Transit Commission Nova LFS

The Nova Bus LFS (an initialism of Low Floor Series) is a series of transit buses manufactured by Nova Bus for the North American market since 1996. It is produced in 40' rigid and 62' articulated (nominal) lengths with a variety of powertrains, including conventionally-fueled (diesel and natural gas), hybrid diesel-electric, and battery-electric. The LFS is the first transit bus designed by Nova Bus. As of 2026, the LFS series is available exclusively in Canada; it was previously available in the United States from 1996 to 2002, and from 2009 to 2025.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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History

=== Development === After taking over the former GM bus plant in Saint-Eustache, Quebec from Motor Coach Industries (MCI) in 1993, Yvon Lafortune, who had previously headed the Venus automotive project for Bombardier Inc., was named president of Nova Bus. Nova Bus management was invited by the Quebec government to design and produce a low-floor bus similar to the style popular in the European market. The limited engineering staff that was acquired by Nova Bus along with the bus plant had never before designed a complete bus; the Classic that was still being produced at the time of acquisition was an updated version of the GM New Look bus, which had been designed by General Motors in the late 1950s. After sixteen months of negotiations, nine transit agencies in Quebec placed a final order of 330 Classic buses plus 60 low-floor buses to be delivered at the end of the contract. Because low-floor buses were uncommon in North America, Nova Bus signed a technology transfer agreement to adapt the Dutch low-floor Den Oudsten Alliance bus. A demonstration Den Oudsten B90 Alliance City bus and engineering staff were sent from the Netherlands; however, by 1994 Den Oudsten was in financial trouble, eventually declaring bankruptcy in 2001. Den Oudsten was unable to collaborate further with Nova Bus after sending the City Alliance, and Nova Bus then had to design a low-floor bus alone to meet the challenging North American standard "white book" specifications. The New Look-derived Classic used a riveted structure, and the Den Oudsten bus used a welded tubular spaceframe, which required Nova Bus to set up a separate factory to manufacture frames in Saint-François-du-Lac. Louis Côté was hired as the head of body design. Industrial designer Jean Labbé, who had also worked on the Bombar

Models

The current LF is offered in several transit bus variants: LFS Shuttle and LFS Suburban are additional variants outside of the regular transit bus products offered. The LFS Shuttle and the LFS Suburban have some features from commuter coaches, with all forward-facing seats and no rear exit. In addition, Nova Bus was working on an electric variant with multiple power source options, which came out in 2019 as the LFSe+. Variants.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Low Floor Series (LFS)

Manufacturer

Nova Bus

Production

1996–present

Assembly

Canada:, Saint-Eustache, Quebec, United States:, Roswell, New Mexico (1996–2002), Plattsburgh, New York (2009–2025)

Predecessor

Rapid Transit Series (after 2003), Classic (transit bus)

Class

Transit bus

Body style

Monocoque stressed skin , Single-decker rigid bus, Single-decker articulated bus

Engine

Diesel: Cummins L9, Hybrid: Cummins B6.7 or L9, CNG: Cummins-Westport L9N, Former: Cummins C8.3, ISC, ISB, ISL, ISL-G, ISL9, Detroit Diesel Series 40

Transmission

Allison B 400, B 500, B3400XFE, H 40 (40' hybrid) or H 50 (62' hybrid), BAE HDS200 (40' hybrid) or HDS300 (62' hybrid), Voith D864.6, ZF EcoLife

Wheelbase

244 in - 40', 497 in - 62' (Front-Mid 244 in, Mid-Rear 253 in)

Length

40 ft, 62 ft

Width

102 in

Height

124 in - Diesel , 128 in - Hybrid

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q39057268CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Bus_LFSCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1360203536 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TTC_Novabus_LFS_Artic_9000_on_Route_29_Dufferin.PNGCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: TorontoTransportGuy · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.