Grande West Transportation Group Inc., a manufacturer of heavy-duty mid-sized transit buses for sale in Canada and the U.S., announced the completion of testing of its Vicinity 30 foot model buses in the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Bus Test Program at Altoona, Pa. The Vicinity was tested for the maximum allowable 12- year durability testing.

U.S. regulations require all new bus models used for mass transportation revenue service and purchased with FTA funds to complete an Altoona Test. The primary focus of the test program evaluates the structural durability and integrity, reliability, performance, maintainability, safety, noise and fuel economy.

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"We are very proud of the Vicinity achieving this important milestone and its exceptional performance in all categories of the Altoona Test. Our engineering team has designed and manufactured a great bus for the market. The Vicinity has accumulated millions of miles of safe and reliable service since its introduction with BC Transit in 2010," said Grande West’s President/CEO William Trainer. "The Vicinity performed superbly and clearly distinguished itself against other mid-sized buses in this heavy duty 12-year test program. The Vicinity has completed its testing as best in class in many categories. The company, and our large distribution partner, Alliance Bus Group, has been eagerly awaiting completion of the Altoona test.”