Mike Cassidy (center), Principal of the Cassidy Group, signs battery-electric demonstration agreement on behalf of Coach Atlantic with MCI’s executives from left; Patricia Ziska, JP Nadeau, Ian Smart and Patrick Scully, during UMA EXPO in Nashville,Tenn. MCI

Mike Cassidy (center), Principal of the Cassidy Group, signs battery-electric demonstration agreement on behalf of Coach Atlantic
with MCI’s executives from left; Patricia Ziska, JP Nadeau, Ian Smart and Patrick Scully, during UMA EXPO in Nashville,Tenn. MCI

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) announced Coach Atlantic Maritime Bus will be the first Canadian operator to demonstrate MCI’s new battery-electric MCI D45 CRTe LE coach this spring.

Cassidy Group’s (Coach Atlantic's parent company) T3 Transit, their municipal transit brand, was the first to bring a battery-electric low floor transit bus made by MCI sister company New Flyer for testing on transit routes serving greater Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island in 2018. 

The Maritime tour and demonstration, beginning in mid-March, will be the first for Canada. MCI launched the all-electric D45 CRTe LE CHARGE model at a high-profile event at its California Bay Area Service Center on Oct. 1, 2019, followed by demonstrations with both private employee transportation programs and public sector agencies with long distance express routes in the U.S.

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The MCI D45 CRTe LE CHARGE features a patented low-entry vestibule with a seating area and a ramp that significantly improves dwell times and the boarding and ride experience for passengers with disabilities.

Principal of the Cassidy Group, Mike Cassidy himself, is at the forefront of fuel conservation by advocating for electric buses and actively supporting alternative fuel research — including biodiesel made from wood chips and other organic materials. Active and knowledgeable in agriculture, Cassidy has begun to grow haskap berries — a plant specific to northern climates — for their health properties in addressing serious diseases.

Winner of the 2020 UMA Environmental Sustainability Award
Cassidy and Coach Atlantic Maritime Bus received the MCI-sponsored 2020 Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Award during the United Motor Coach Association (UMA) EXPO for a broad suite of green practices, including a conservation commitment that applies inside and outside the business. Coach Atlantic utilizes idle-free driver training programs offered by the University of Vermont’s Certification for Sustainable Transportation (CST) program in addition to aggressive recycling programs companywide.

In accepting the 2020 MCI Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Award, Cassidy expressed his passion for the industry’s ability to take cars off the road to mitigate traffic congestion and improve air quality.  “What would you rather see, investments in cars or motorcoaches?” he said to members of the industry. “Our green message needs to be visible to the riding public. By working together, we can truly move our message forward, making travel by motor coach attractive beyond its convenience and affordability but for its environmental benefits to North America.

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