New Orleans RTA orders 38 Orion VII Next Generation buses

DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America (DCCBNA) received an order for 38 Orion VII Next Generation clean diesel transit buses from the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA).  

The order is for the newly redesigned 35-foot Next Generation vehicle, and will be used to replace existing inventory that was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters in August 2005. NORTA, created in 1983 by the Louisiana Legislature, is an existing Orion customer.  

Orion transit buses currently make up roughly 70% of RTA’s transit fleet. Introduced to the transit market earlier in 2007, the Orion VII Next Generation uses the same platform of the Orion VII with a new, redefined, European-inspired exterior design and an improved ergonomic driver’s area.  

An additional benefit of the vehicle is its clean-diesel engine, which provides an 80% improvement in particulate matter and a 50% improvement in NOx emissions in comparison to its 2002 predecessor.