Yes, Bloomington Transit launched in the 1970s with a fleet of Mercedes
minibuses, almost certainly 309s if I compare my memory to photos
online.
It was later alleged to me that the decision to buy Mercedes buses was
the result of a very friendly relationship between a city councilman and
a Mercedes dealer. It was never a public scandal or anything that I
heard of, but it always seemed a little strange that a southern Indiana
town would go with "foreign" buses for something like that. The
University's bus service used GM "New Look" buses at that time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_New_Look_bus
Mother Bears is still around. They have two locations now, one on 3rd
Street near Jordan Ave that you probably remember and one on the West
side off of Hwy 37 (now I-69).
Allan
Dan Penoff via Mercedes writes:
> Not often, at least the OM309s, and if they were commercial versions they’re
> often thrashed. Ones that made it into easier service usually go for big
> bucks if they’re not beaters, especially if they have lots of windows.
>
> I suspect they are valued for conversions, as they’re quite spacious for
> their size. I would expect that you would want to repower one with a stronger
> engine, as many of them had four cylinder diesels. I seem to recall reading
> about a guy who had one and crossed the country in it. He had to closely
> survey an appropriate route to cross the Rockies as he knew it would be lucky
> to climb some of the steeper grades.
>
> Are you saying Bloomington had them? Speaking of which, is Mother Bear’s
> still around? I can recall eating many a pizza from there back in the day.
>
> -D
>
>> On Apr 26, 2021, at 5:30 PM, Allan Streib via Mercedes
>> wrote:
>>
>> How often do old O309 busses, L407 or L608 vans turn up for sale?
>>
>> One of my camper conversion ideas.
>>
>> My town used them when they first started a public transit bus
>> service. A somewhat shady backroom deal apparently, but quite memorable
>> for me as I rode them a fair bit as a kid before I could drive.
>>
>> Allan
>>
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