Orion Bus Industries Orion-Ikarus 286

Orion Bus Industries Orion-Ikarus 286 or commonly known as the Orion III was a Hungarian-built and Canadian-assembled articulated bus, sold by Orion Bus Industries to the Canadian market and similar to Crown-Ikarus 286 in the United States.

Production

Shell and partial built shells were sent from Ikarus Body and Coach Works in Hungary and finally assembly (doors, windows and seats) at Orion Bus's plant in Mississauga, Ontario from 1985 to 1989.

Operators

Three transit agencies used the 286, but only 3 had them on full roster:

• Toronto Transit Commission of Toronto, Ontario operated 90 buses from late 1987 to 2003 (retirement began in 1997-1998); some sold to OC Transpo
• OC Transpo of Ottawa, Ontario operated 188 buses from 1985 to 2003; acquired some TTC buses in the late 1990s as well as from St. Catherines
• St. Catharines Transit Ex Orion III Demo operated one bus from the 1980s to the early 1990s and later sold to OC Transpo as a Parts bus.

Transit Windsor operated a demo vehicle only (June 1985) for tunnel service along the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel.