Because replacement parts for decades-old buses are not always readily available, keeping them running can require expertise and resourcefulness.
“Preparing a historic bus for the annual Bus Festival is truly a year-round labor of love,” Newburg said. “It takes an enormous team effort to bring the fleet together for a single day.”
The festival will also feature several notable additions this year, including Bus 303, which will make its first-ever appearance.
Built in 1918, the wooden-bodied, open-top double-decker once operated on Manhattan routes for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.
Following its restoration this year, it is now the oldest restored vehicle in the Museum’s vintage bus fleet and will be displayed alongside “Betsy,” the iconic 1931 double-decker it replaced as the oldest vehicle in the collection.