Nova Bus's Saint-Eustache factory is a former General Motors plant that built city transit buses for the Canadian and US market.

In 1987 GM sold its bus-building holdings to Greyhound Dial Corporation, the parent company of Motor Coach Industries (MCI) while GMC's Rapid Transit Series (RTS) product was moved to join MCI's own designs at Transportation Manufacturing Corporation in Roswell, New Mexico.

Nova Quintech was formed in 1991 after a group of investors purchased the assets of the bankrupt fire truck manufacturer Camions Pierre Thibault Inc.

The RTS model was continued to be produced in the Roswell plant to meet Buy America requirements.

In March 2010, Nova Bus received the first order for the US-built, redesigned LFS from Honolulu, Hawaii's TheBus; 24 were delivered in December 2010.

[5] In 2013, the Chicago Transit Authority placed an order for 300 40 foot Nova Bus clean-diesel buses, with an option to buy an additional 150.

[6] On June 21, 2023, Nova Bus announced that it would again exit the United States market in 2025, and close the Plattsburgh plant.

Several alternative powertrains have been offered including compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled engines, diesel-electric hybrids (both series and parallel arrangements) and battery-electric.