GM Buffalo bus was the slang term for several models of intercity motorcoaches built by the GM Truck and Coach Division at Pontiac, Michigan, between 1966 and 1980. "Buffalo" coaches have a stepped roof in front, and the first three rows of seats are at different levels, mounted on stepped floors similar to some theatre seating. History Predecessors Scenicruiser The GM "Buffalo" bus models were strongly influenced by the PD-4501 Scenicruiser, a model GM manufactured exclusively for Greyhound Lines between 1954 and 1956. The Scenicruiser was a parlor bus intended for long-distance service with two levels: a lower level at the front containing the driving console and 10 seats behind it, and an upper level containing seating for 33. This allowed for a huge baggage compartment beneath the raised upper level, and also provided a 360-degree view for upper level passengers. A lavatory was located at the rear of the first level. Scenicruisers were equipped with air-ride suspension which utilized an air bag at each wheel, and were air-conditioned. GM parlor buses Contemporaneous with the Greyhound-exclusive Scenicruisers, GM manufactured the single-deck "Highway Traveler" (PD-4104) parlor from 1953 to 1960, pioneering the monocoque structure, air suspension, and slanted side windows that would go on to be used on the well-known New Look transit buses. Later, an updated Traveler (internally designated as model PD-4106 at GM, built 1961–65) incorporated some design updates, including the air-conditioning unit drive (now powered from an engine-mounted compressor), a V-drive engine-transmission connection, and the Detroit Diesel 6V71 or 8V71 engine. Fishbowl transit and suburbans The GM New Look Transit Coach series (nicknamed "fishbowl" for the six-piece rounded windshield) was introduced in 1959. In the early 1960s and later, thousands were built in the transit and suburban bus models. When designed and put into production, the Buffalo intercity products shared many body and mechanical parts with these "fishbowl" buses, which were assembled in the same plant in Pontiac, Michigan. This aspect, a sensible production economy at first, would have a negative impact on the future of the Buffalo models years later when GM switched transit production at the Pontiac plant to the modular RTS design, a radical change beginning in the late 1970s. Buffalo development As Scenicruisers became a familiar sight on roads around the United States and in advertisements, competing bus companies including members of the National Trailways Bus System sought a vehicle to compete with it.