[2] At its height in the early 1990s, Ontario Bus Industries employed 1,200 at its Mississauga and Oriskany plants,[5] producing 750 vehicles to 38 transit agencies in the US alone.

[3][8] In 2006, Orion Bus Industries became part of the DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America as a subsidiary of Daimler.

In September 2007, employees representing the United Auto Workers in the Orion plant in Oriskany went on strike for three weeks.

[10][11] The closure took union officials by surprise; CAW had just signed a one-year extension on April 1 for the Mississauga plant.

[12] The Mississauga workers staged a wildcat work stoppage to protest in employee frustration at the slow pace of winding-down talks.

[15] The Oriskany plant was initially retained for aftermarket parts and support for Orion bus operators,[10][16] until New Flyer acquired that business from Daimler Buses in 2013.

[17] The sales and closures were part of the closure of Daimler Buses North America; only Daimler's imported Setra buses continued to be marketed in North America although distribution rights were taken over by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) in exchange for a minority stake in MCI.