Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

The new additions expand MTA’s fleet of 60-foot Xcelsior hybrid buses to a total of 52 and will be on the street in time for the Preakness Stakes this weekend.

Five-year contract contains a firm order for 13 CNG 60-foot buses, and nine CNG 40-foot buses. Additionally, the contract includes four, one-year options for up to 108 60-foot CNG buses and up to 72 40-foot CNG buses.

Buses are anticipated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2013 and will be completely manufactured and assembled at New Flyer of America’s St. Cloud, Minn. manufacturing facility.

Buses are anticipated to begin production in the second quarter of 2013 and will be completely manufactured and assembled at New Flyer of America’s St. Cloud, Minn. manufacturing facility.

The purchase was funded by using proceeds from the recently announced equity investment by Marcopolo S.A., one of the world’s leading global bus manufacturers, which made the first tranche of its investment in New Flyer, totaling approximately $51 million, in February.

New York’s Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority exercised options under an existing contract for 20 60-foot heavy-duty Xcelsior articulated clean diesel buses. Meanwhile, Daimler Buses North America assigned to New Flyer its contract with Seattle’s King County Metro Transit to build up to 381 Xcelsior heavy-duty 35- and 40-foot diesel-electric hybrid buses.

The Milwaukee County Transit System signed a contract for 90 Xcelsior XD40 buses and contains a firm order of 55 buses with options for an additional 35 buses.

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.

Founded in 1949, and headquartered in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, Marcopolo is one of the world’s largest bus builders and is primarily engaged in the manufacturing of buses, bus bodies and components.

The contract for 165 Xcelsior CNG buses (330 equivalent units or "EUs") contains a firm order of 47 60-foot articulated buses (94 EUs) with options for up to an additional 118 60-foot buses (236 EUs).