Optima receives first hybrid low-floor bus order

The Town of Avon Transit, located in Avon, Colo., awarded Optima Bus Corp. with its first contract for the Opus ISE Series Hybrid Low-Floor Bus. The contract is valued at approximately $7.5 million. The contract with Avon includes a base order of up to five Opus buses with an option for 10 additional buses. Avon chose the buses in an effort to help protect the environment and lower its dependence on fossil fuels, according to the town’s fleet manager, Dan Higgins. Optima’s Opus ISE Series Hybrid Low-Floor Buses utilize ISE-Siemens ThunderVolt hybrid technology built around Siemens ELFA motors, generators and inverters, and use a conventional internal combustion engine only to generate electricity.