Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Pending final approval from the board of supervisors, the SFMTA expects to have a prototype on the road next winter for a month long test in regular passenger service. All 45 new buses are expected to arrive by the end of summer 2013.

The pace bus is one of 215 hybrid diesel-electric buses purchased by the MTA. That number will grow by 53 in the next year following Gov. Martin O’Malley’s approval of the purchase of additional hybrids and a commitment to convert the entire MTA fleet to hybrids.

The purchase of 10 hybrid-electric vehicles will increase the number of hybrid buses in TheRide's fleet to 41 out of a total of 78 buses. The grant comes from the Clean Fuels Bus and Bus Facilities Program.

The new buses feature a redesigned logo as well as a new blue and green color scheme. Along with a new website revealed last week, this is the first of many steps toward rebranding the entire Lextran system.

The patented and proprietary designs for hybrid and all-electric buses significantly reduce emissions and provide lower total life-cycle operational costs, according to the company.

Charm City Circulator is a fleet of 21 eco-friendly buses that will travel along three routes in Baltimore City.