THEY'RE ALL GONE :( - Ride on 1998 Gillig Phantom - Santa Clara VTA Bus 9844 - Route 23 - RETAKE

It is my great displeasure to announce that as of July 1st 2018 VTA no longer has any Phantoms in service. The last 6 (9802, 9807, 9810, 9820, 9844, and 9901) have officially been retired. This marks the end of an era for VTA and the South Bay as a whole. With the disappearance of the Phantoms from VTA there are no longer any high floored buses in the region. From the vast majority of us bus fans in the area, may these beasts be there's for their great 21 years of service. RIP VTA Gillig Phantoms, 1997-2018. Join me for.a ride on my favorite of the now ex-VTA Phantoms, 9844. This bus automatically became my favorite when it was the first Phantom that I caught, and maintained that status as the turbo becameore pronounced over time. In this take the turbo is significantly louder than when I first rode it, but not as loud as it later became (don't worry, I have another video of it from towards the end of its life saved for later). My first take of 9844 was on my waterproof camera as that was all I had with me that day and consequently had horrible audio quality. This take does a much better job at displaying the great exhaust note. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Route - 23 De Anza College to Alum Rock Transit Center via Stevens Creek Start Location - De Anza College End Location - Stevens Creek and Cypress Transit Agency - Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Brand - Gillig Type - Phantom Engine - Cummins M11 Transmission - Allison B400R Number - 9844 Built - 1998 Retired - June 2018 Video Taken With - Nikon COOLPIX S9700 Dare Recorded - 2017-04-24 Music: Outro - "Good Evening" by Cabu