GILLIG LOW-FLOOR/BRT MODELS
KITSAP TRANSIT BUS NO. 788 - WASHINGTON STATE
This Gillig, a 30-foot model, operates out of Kitsap County's public transit agency in Washington State. Kitsap Transit operates one of the largest mostly-Gillig fleets in the Puget Sound region, with more than 40 buses. This bus, photographed here between route stops, was photographed on January 11, 2019 at the Kitsap Transit's foot ferry dock.
The Gillig Low Floor began development in much the same way as the Gillig Phantom did: As a prototype design for an airport shuttle bus. The design concept began in the early 1990s after Gillig ceased production of the Phantom school bus line. By 1998, Gillig released the first low floor buses, named "Advantage," to customers seeking a low floor, step-free option. The design was a stark departure from the Phantom's slanted driver's side windshield, and took on an appearance resembling that of the competing New Flyer D40LF models. In 2002, Gillig redesigned the front roof cap and destination sign, and in 2005 announced a variant called BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). The BRT model shares the same side body design, but the front and rear end caps are vastly different. Variants include the Trolley and BRTPlus. In the former, the Low Floor's design resembles that of San Francisco's famous streetcar trolleys. In the latter, the BRTPlus features streamlined roof fairings and an improved appearance overall.