For anyone with a passion for public transportation or an imaginative eye for conversion projects, a piece of San Francisco Muni history could be yours for a cool $7,997. A Facebook Marketplace listing spotted in Sacramento offers up a 2007 Orion VII electric hybrid bus, no longer decked with passenger seats, ready to assume a new identity at the hands of its next owner. As noted by SFist, this vehicle, situated in an outdoor showroom filled with other “gently used” RVs and large vehicles, boasts just 41,608 miles—suggesting either a remarkably gentle life, or a stint of early retirement.
The specifics, as detailed by the seller Julie Jewlz of Roseville in a Facebook post in the Heavy Construction Equipment group, include a Cummins Hybrid Electric 6Cyl engine, automatic transmission, and air suspension. However, potential buyers be warned, this bus "might need new batteries or a jump start," and comes sold as is. The lack of seats invites a variety of transformative possibilities, from a mobile event space to a rolling canvas for creative endeavors.
While the presence of mattresses in place of seats could signal this bus's past adventures, its full history remains somewhat enigmatic. The Sacramento Bee reports that these Muni cast-offs often find themselves reassigned to roles as varied as a "mobile shower bus" or an "airport shuttle." Curiously, amidst speculation on its low mileage, the Federal Transit Administration once cited 12 years as the economic useful life of buses like these, though Muni has been known to operate them up to 16 years—this bus, now aged 18, defies those guidelines.
Should you be drawn to own a piece of San Francisco's transit heritage, consider the bus’s footprint: Muni has suggested that its smaller buses, such as this one, are vital for navigating the steep and compact streets of various San Francisco neighborhoods. According to additional coverage from the Sacramento Bee, Muni's latest Orions, the kin of this mobile relic, were only recently phased out in 2022. And while its days of hauling commuters are firmly in the rearview, its next chapter awaits a buyer willing to jump start both the engine, and a new journey.
