Flxible

The Flxible Co.
Company type	Private
Industry	Automotive, Bus manufacturing
Predecessor	Flexible Side Car Company
Founded	1913; 113 years ago in Loudonville, Ohio, United States
Founder	Hugo H. Young, Carl F. Dudte
Defunct	1996
Fate	Bankruptcy; ceased production in 1995
Successor	None
Headquarters	Delaware, Ohio (after 1974), United States
Area served	North America, Latin America, China (joint venture)
Key people	Charles Kettering (president until 1940, chairman until 1958)
Products	Motorcycle sidecars, funeral vehicles, ambulances, intercity coaches, transit buses
Owner	Various (including Rohr Industries, Grumman Corporation, General Automotive Corporation)
Parent	General Automotive Corporation (from 1983)

The Flxible Co. (pronounced "flexible") was a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in motorcycle sidecars, funeral vehicles, ambulances, intercity coaches, and transit buses, headquartered in Ohio. Established in 1913 and operating until 1996, Flxible transitioned its focus from highway coaches to transit buses between 1953 and 1970, ultimately becoming one of the largest transit bus producers in North America.

History

The company began in 1913 when Hugo H. Young and Carl F. Dudte founded the Flexible Side Car Company in Loudonville, Ohio. They initially produced motorcycle sidecars featuring a patented flexible mounting system that allowed the sidecar to lean in unison with the motorcycle.

By 1919, the firm rebranded as The Flxible Company to expand into wider markets.

As demand for motorcycle sidecars diminished during the 1920s due to the rise of affordable automobiles, Flxible diversified its product line to include funeral cars (hearses), ambulances—primarily built on Buick chassis—and intercity buses initially constructed on GMC truck frames powered by Buick engines.

Charles Kettering and General Motors

Charles Kettering, a native of Loudonville and a General Motors vice president, played a crucial role in Flxible's formative years. He assisted with the company's incorporation in 1914, served as its president and board member, and provided substantial financing following the sale of his Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco) to GM for $2.5 million in 1916. Kettering held the presidency until 1940 and continued as chairman until his passing in 1958.

Kettering’s simultaneous leadership roles at GM and Flxible encouraged extensive integration of GM components into Flxible products before GM’s acquisition of Yellow Coach—a competing bus manufacturer—in 1943. From the mid-1920s through the early 1940s, most Flxible ambulances, hearses, and buses utilized Buick chassis; during the mid-1930s, "Airway" buses were built on Chevrolet chassis.

Following the 1956 antitrust consent decree against GM (United States v. General Motors Corp.), GM was obligated to supply bus parts royalty-free to rival manufacturers. Prior to this ruling, in the early 1950s, Flxible produced a limited number of buses equipped with GM diesel engines while Kettering remained on its board—potentially as a strategic effort by GM to counter accusations of monopolistic practices. The decree also prohibited GM executives from holding positions at other bus manufacturing companies—a restriction that would have affected Kettering had he lived beyond 1958.

GM’s choice not to develop an 8-cylinder engine version of its "New Look" transit bus during the 1960s and 1970s likely stemmed from market-driven factors rather than technical constraints. The antitrust decree remained fully effective until 1965, shaping competitive conditions within the bus industry.

Bus manufacturing

In 1953, Flxible expanded by acquiring the bus production segment of the Fageol Twin Coach Company and secured its initial transit bus contract with the Chicago Transit Authority. In 1964, it purchased Southern Coach Manufacturing Co., located in Evergreen, Alabama, where it manufactured small transit buses until 1976. Rohr Industries acquired Flxible in 1970, resulting in a new manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters established in Delaware, Ohio by 1974; meanwhile, the original Loudonville facility shifted focus to parts manufacturing. In 1978, Grumman Corporation took ownership and renamed it Grumman Flxible, reverting back to Flxible after selling it to General Automotive Corporation in 1983. Confronted with financial difficulties, Flxible filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and halted production in 1995.

Issues with 870 "A" Frame

During the mid-1980s, a number of Grumman 870 buses operated by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) exhibited cracks in their A-shaped undercarriage frames. This led NYCTA President David Gunn to withdraw the entire fleet from service. Although similar problems were reported by other transit agencies, the defect was predominantly an issue for NYCTA's 870s. Later bus models incorporated design improvements that resolved these structural concerns. NYCTA attempted to redirect pending bus orders to General Motors but was prevented from doing so due to a lack of documented defects. The problematic buses were sent back to Flxible for refurbishment and subsequently sold to Queen City Metro and New Jersey Transit. Flxible attributed the damage to NYCTA’s maintenance procedures, despite comparable reports from transit systems in Chicago and Houston. In 1995, NYCTA placed an order for fifty Metros; however, Flxible ceased operations before fulfilling it, resulting in Orion Bus Industries supplying the remaining units.

Final Flxible Buses in Transit Service

By the mid-2010s, only a handful of transit agencies continued operating Flxible buses. Portland's TriMet retired its last vehicles in May 2015. Remaining operators included Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) in South Carolina and Metro Transit in Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha phased out its final Flxible buses by late 2018 after acquiring replacements, followed by CARTA completing retirements by October 2019.

Engineering Advancements

In the late 1990s, Flxible integrated the computer-aided design software CATIA into its engineering workflow, becoming among the earliest users of this IBM/Dassault platform to improve manufacturing design processes.

International Production

Flxible’s intercity coaches enjoyed considerable demand across Mexico and Latin America; however, elevated import tariffs limited direct sales. To address this barrier, Flxible licensed Mexican manufacturer DINA S.A. during the early 1960s to produce coaches based on Flxible designs until the late 1980s. Additionally, between 1965 and 1966, Flxible licensed its "New Look" transit bus design to Canadian aerospace company Canadair Ltd. located in Quebec.

In 1994, General Automotive Corporation (Flxible’s parent company) formed a joint venture with Roger Penske, Mark IV Industries, Carrier Corporation, and China’s Changzhou Changjiang Bus to manufacture buses inspired by the Flxible Metro model under the China Flxible Auto Corporation brand. These vehicles ranged from eight to eleven meters in length and included front- and rear-engine configurations that shared only exterior styling cues with U.S.-built Flxibles. They were deployed in major Chinese urban centers such as Beijing and Shanghai. A trolleybus variant was produced exclusively for Hangzhou’s transit network; between the late 1990s and 2001, Hangzhou Changjiang Bus Company assembled 77 units using Changzhou Changjiang chassis and bodies.

Product Lineup

Motorcycle sidecars (1913–early 1920s)
Intercity coaches (1924–1932)
Funeral vehicles (1925–1942, 1946–1952, 1959–1964)
Ambulances (1925–1952, 1946–1952, 1959–1964)
"Airway" intercity coaches (1932–1936)
"Clipper" intercity coaches (1937–1942, 1944–1950)
Components for Liberty ships, M4 tanks, F4U Corsair aircraft, and Goodyear blimps (1942–1945)
"Airporter" intercity coaches (1946–1950)
"C-1" intercity coach (1950)
"VisiCoach" intercity coaches (1950–1958)
FL "Fageoliner" transit buses (1953–1954)
FT "Flxible Twin" transit buses (1953–1959)
VL-100 "VistaLiner" two-level intercity coaches (1954–1959)
"StarLiner" intercity coaches (1957–1967)
"Hi-Level" intercity coaches (1959–1962)
"New Look" transit buses (1960–1978)
"FlxLiner" intercity coaches (1963–1969)
"Flxette" light-duty transit buses (1964–1976)
"Flxible" Cruiser Motor Homes (1967–1969)
870 "Advanced Design Bus" transit buses (1978–1982)
METRO "Advanced Design Bus" series (1983–1996), including METRO models "A" through "E" produced from 1983 to 1996

Flxible Owners International

Formed in the mid-1980s as a branch of the Family Motor Coach Association, Flxible Owners International is dedicated to the conservation of Flxible buses and coaches. The organization holds a biennial gathering in Loudonville, where restored vehicles are prominently displayed.

The majority of members possess models from the Clipper series—such as the Clipper, Visicoach, and Starliner—manufactured up to 1967. Additionally, the collection features other Flxible models beyond the Clipper line, including the Starliner, VL100 (VistaLiner), Hi Level, and Flxliner, as well as some newer transit buses. While many of these have been transformed into motorhomes, a number still operate as traditional passenger coaches.

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