New Flyer of America showed off its two newest additions to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's (SEPTA) bus fleet during the agency's Bus Roadeo, which was held Sept. 11.
Both of the new clean, green diesel-electric hybrids will assume the usual workhorse roles occupied by all SEPTA buses. However, they'll also carry a bit of history with them: Bus No. 8411 is the 1,000th New Flyer to join SEPTA's fleet; right on its heels, No. 8450 is the 30,000th bus manufactured by New Flyer, a Minnesota-based company that builds buses for transit agencies throughout North America.
SEPTA took delivery of its first New Flyer bus in October 2001. This partnership grew over the decade, and has been a major catalyst in developing and promoting cutting edge bus technology — most notably, a shift from traditional diesel buses to cleaner burning, environmentally friendly diesel-electric hybrids.
The agency is purchasing approximately 470 diesel-electric hybrids from New Flyer under a four-year contract. By the end of 2011, more than one-third of SEPTA's bus fleet will be represented by New Flyer's hybrids.