Gillig Phantom

Gillig Phantom
2008 Phantom operated by Sound Transit; one of the last models to be built.
Overview
Manufacturer	Gillig Corporation
Body and chassis
Doors	1 door (school bus) 2 door
Floor type	High floor, step entrance
Chassis	Gillig
Powertrain
Engine	Caterpillar Cummins Detroit Diesel
Capacity	78-84 passengers (school bus configuration)
Dimensions
Length	30–40 ft (9.1–12.2 m)
Width	96–102 in (2,438–2,591 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Gillig Transit Coach
Successor	Gillig Low Floor

The Gillig Phantom is a high-floor bus that was produced from 1980 to 2008 by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California. The successor to the Gillig Transit Coach, the production of the Phantom marked the transition of bus production from yellow school buses to transit buses. While a few examples of the Phantom were produced as a school bus, most were sold in the latter configuration; as of 2016, the Phantom is the last school bus sold by Gillig.

The Phantom is the first transit bus assembled entirely by Gillig (the company produced a small number of buses with Neoplan from 1977 to 1979). Produced in several configurations, the first Phantoms were 35 feet long and 96 inches wide; however, 30-foot and 40-foot models were offered beginning in 1981, and 102-inch-wide models became available in 1983. From 2005 onward, only the 102-inch-wide version was available due to stricter emissions and accessibility requirements.

A liquefied natural gas fueled version was produced beginning in 1992; it was later discontinued. A diesel-electric hybrid powered version was sold from 1996 to 2006; MTA in New York purchased a Gillig Phantom hybrid demo bus as well as diesels for MTA Long Island bus.

The Phantom was available with a narrow rear door or a wide rear door. Initially, the wide rear door option consisted of two narrow doors, but this was reduced to one wide door by the 1990s. Most Phantoms transit authorities opted for the narrow rear door. The wide rear door option was mainly ordered by airports and rental car agencies, even though the Utah Transit Authority and Torrance Transit were among the exceptions, with Honolulu's TheBus orders from 1983 and 1984 featuring a different configuration. The Phantom could be ordered with dual headlights or quad headlights, with most transit authorities opting for the latter.

Phantoms could be ordered with the wheelchair lift in either the front door or rear door. Those with the lift in the rear door had a slightly wider rear door to accommodate the lift. Most Phantoms were ordered with the wheelchair lift in the front door.