Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

It is the first step toward upgrading a fleet of nearly 700 buses by opting to buy as many as 300 American-made buses over the next two years to replace aging, less dependable vehicles.

The new diesel-electric hybrid SmartBuses were purchased with federal grant funds and will replace the eight oldest buses in the agency’s fleet.

L.A. Metro announced plans to order 550 New Flyer Xcelsior natural gas buses, powered with the ISL G 8.9 liter engine, to be deployed in 2014 and 2015. The San Diego MTS announced the decision to purchase up to 350 Gillig 40-foot low floor buses and 118 New Flyer 60-foot low floor articulated buses, also powered with the ISL G 8.9.

The hybrids, with technology similar to a Chevy Volt, will run one of the busiest routes among the agency’s 79 bus lines. With the addition of the hybrids, 55 new buses have been put into service since October.

The energy-efficient buses, the first in the SamTrans fleet, are expected to be in service throughout San Mateo County by the end of the year. The low-floor buses use long-life, non-hazardous, maintenance-free batteries to capture and store braking energy and advanced solid state controllers to manage and blend power sources.

Signed contracts for up to 350 Gillig 40-foot low-floor CNG buses and up to 165 New Flyer 60-foot low-floor articulated CNG buses through 2017. The total value of the contracts, if all options are exercised and future funding is available, is in excess of $343 million, inclusive of sales tax, licenses, fees and delivery.

Center includes four bus shelters with a total of 140 seats, informational boards, a landscaped bicycle and pedestrian path, and a bus layover area under the parking garage for the new Joint Traffic Management Center now under design.

Replaced three15-year-old Blue Bird buses. The red hybrid "envirotravel" buses cost a total of $1.75 million.

In total, the 40-foot long, diesel-fueled buses will cost $16.4 million-with $8.2 million in agency funds being matched by $8.2 million from the State Local Partnership Program.

The agency is using FTA grant funding and debt service to replace its oldest buses. Four of the buses will feature hybrid-electric propulsion.