Old Pueblo Transit #135

Bus #135 takes on passengers at Stone and Congress in the early 1970’s.

Old Pueblo Transit Company served the south and west sides of Tucson. It was founded in 1924 by Roy Laos, Sr. under the name Occidental Bus Line. In 1949 he took in a partner, Emery Johnson, and together they changed the company name and set about replacing their World-War-II-era fleet of Ford Transit buses with 31-passenger General Motors buses like #135. This small transit bus was powered with gasoline rather than diesel as was the case with most G.M. Buses of that period. They turned out to be very dependable, but by the late 1950’s were showing their age, so Old Pueblo Transit Company purchased 6 new G.M.’s in 1959 and 1960. The last 3 (#134-136) were unique in that they had only one door and thus sat two additional passengers. They operated in daily service until replaced by Highway Products Twin Coaches in 1974.

Number 135 was purchased by Tucson Transit mechanic, Dick Shoemaker, with the intent of converting it to a motor home. However, in the summer of 1980 he instead sold it to bus modeler and Old Pueblo Trolley member Mark Hart who repainted it in the 1950’s Old Pueblo Transit Company paint scheme and has kept it in running condition.