The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) awarded New Flyer Industries Inc. a contract for 50 Xcelsior compressed natural gas (CNG) 40-foot heavy-duty buses.
The five-year contract contains a firm order of 20 CNG buses with three options of up to 10 CNG buses each. In addition to the firm order for 20 buses, BJCTA is also exercising 10 option buses at this time.
With their current order, BJCTA continues its transition to an all-CNG transit fleet supporting its quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CNG propulsion is a cleaner, more efficient system than a standard diesel system, with such benefits as enhanced air quality and reduction in pollutants.
The 30 CNG buses are anticipated to begin production in the second quarter of 2013. All buses are expected to be delivered by the third quarter of 2013.