California-based ISE Corporation announced that the State of Minnesota Department of Transportation (MN-DOT) approved two ISE bus manufacturer partners — New Flyer and ElDorado — to supply their chassis together with ISE's gasoline hybrid-electric drive system as a qualified option under the terms of the recently released contract.

To take advantage of these purchase options created by the Minnesota contract, transit agency orders for ISE's 2010 hybrid drive system will need to be processed by Dec.31, 2010 to comply with the MN-DOT contract specifications.

Each OEM could sell up to 500 hybrid buses under the MN-DOT contract, assuming the Department exercises the bus options or transfers the options to another agency.

The U.S. Department of Transportation also authorized MN-DOT to transfer these options to any U.S. transit agency, thus enabling any agency to take part in this bus procurement.