Ill. agency to add 26 Champion Challenger paratransit vehicles
The contract Greater Peoria Mass Transit District entered into with Central States Bus Sales Inc. for the 26 vehicles, includes an option to purchase an additional 14 paratransit vehicles over the next five years.
Ill.’s Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (GPMTD) entered into a contract with Central States Bus Sales Inc. for the purchase and delivery of 26 new paratransit (CityLift) vehicles.
The new vehicles are Ford E450 body-on-chassis with a Champion Challenger body. They will have the capacity to accommodate up to 14 passengers and numerous wheelchairs. The contract GPMTD entered into with Central States Bus Sales Inc. for the 26 vehicles, includes an option to purchase an additional 14 paratransit vehicles over the next five years.
Ad Loading...
“We are confident that the new paratransit vehicles from Central States Bus Sales Inc. will improve CityLift service from an operational standpoint, and it will also better the passenger experience. These vehicles have a specially designed roof to increase passenger safety and the latest enhancements in seatbelt and wheelchair securements,” said Andrew Dwyer, CityLink director, mobility.
GPMTD was awarded a paratransit vehicles grant in June 2016 from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through the Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Program — 5339. The amount awarded from the FTA was $1,421,467, which will pay 85% of the total cost for GPMTD to replace the current fleet of aging paratransit vehicles. Local funding will pay the remaining 15%.
GPMTD expects to begin receiving the new paratransit vehicles in July 2017.
What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.
In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
Originally introduced in 2023 as the Bus Line Redesign, the effort has evolved into a more targeted update that maintains familiar routes while improving reliability, frequency, evening and weekend service, and connections across Allegheny County.
S3 will connect communities along SR 522 with fast, reliable, battery-electric bus service from Shoreline South Station to Bothell via Kenmore and Lake Forest Park.
The configuration uses Ster Seating's Gemini seat platform to create a family-friendly floor layout specifically engineered to accommodate parents traveling with young children.
The Renton Transit Center project will relocate and rebuild the Renton Transit Center to better serve the regional Stride S1 line, local King County Metro services, and the future RapidRide I Line.
