MiWay 1500-1503

MiWay 1500-1503 were former 2015 NovaBUS LFS demonstrators. At the time, they were equipped with GUI controls- unlike in-house chassis models- which had button controls. These units were the first vehicles operated by MiWay on ROBLOX and were the only fictional class to be operated by the agency. The buses were first used on route 5 on October 11, 2015.

Class leader 1500 arrived at Robbins Facility in August 2015, being the pilot bus for the agency. It was later fitted with seats, a PRESTO reader and a bike rack for revenue service. The remaining 3 units were delivered between August and September 2015 with the same features.

Overview
This series were also ex-demonstrator units (2015 chassis for TTC)- having specifications very similar to the Toronto Transit Commission models with no rear window. 1500-1503 were only used on routes 5, 26 and 51, operated by the Robbins depot. Defining features included the custom rear doors, licence plates, an on board PRESTO reader and bike racks.

1500-1503 were operated from late 2015 to early 2016 until in-house chassis models replaced them, having been used for the interim and gradually phased out with the current chassis. These buses retired in mid-2016 after the chassis was no longer supported by the map and they began to fall apart. Before they were moved, 1500-1503 were kept as backup buses to support the in-house chassis fleet. These units are believed to have been replaced with the first batch of 2011 New Flyer XD40s as they were introduced around the LFS' retirement.

Following the units' retirement, they were stored at Robbins Facility until June 2017, then moved to Mississauga Truck and Bus (MTB Transit Solutions) in Milton for possible refurbishment and preservation. However, due to issues with parts, 1501 and 1502 were stripped of usable parts and the shells were scrapped in 2017. Class leader 1500, with 1503 as its backup are expected to be preserved as historic buses. However, it is unknown if they can be publicly viewed again, let alone returned to operational condition. The units' destination displays no longer work as of August 2018 due to PGS and mandatory Filtering Enabled, which does not support the GUI fill in displays.

1503 made a rare appearance at the 2019 New Years Bash on December 31, 2018 and into January 1, 2019. The vehicle was chartered to Applewood Station where it posed for pictures, then to Erindale GO. On the way to Erindale, the engine performance slugged, in which the vehicle could not go over 60 km/h. As it entered, all was fine, however it broke down at Burnhamthorpe & Perivale, requiring a tow truck to tow the vehicle back to the garage. It was sent back to the storage facility the next morning.

In January 2019, the fleet has been deemed as inoperable. The remaining buses have been retired and may be scrapped due to budget cuts. However, a recent test of the vehicles proved that the buses can now actually operate. Because of this, 1500 and 1503 were kept; the vehicles have been preserved as of early 2020 and are now in use for special events as the system's historic vehicles. However, 1503 is the only unit that has been used for events since the vehicles were moved off-site in 2017.

1503 made another appearance at the 2020 New Years Bash. It paraded with the articulated buses, Nassau Transportation Authority and Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada buses at the bash. They participated in a race, then the vehicles posed for a photo shoot.

The legacy of these buses will continue on with the introduction of the 17xx (2017 model) NovaBUS LFS slated for 2021-2022.

Did you know?

 * These units predicted the real-life MiWay acquiring the Nova Bus LFS. Unlike the real model, these buses do not have rear windows.
 * 1500-1503 were the only units to have PRESTO readers installed in the fleet's history. Even the current meshed buses do not have a reader!
 * The rear door on buses of this series are not functional, requiring people to enter and exit via the front door.
 * The 2015 models were the only revenue units to have fill-in displays, meaning that they were the only units that could display P/R and custom messages at the time. Coded displays now have scrolling P/R messages that can be selected as of 2020.
 * These buses were the first 4 of 5 buses that had dynamic doors while they were in service. Their legacy is now seen on the current fleet- as all vehicles now have dynamic doors.