Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., was recently awarded a contract from the State of Georgia for its market leading commuter coaches. The contract, managed by Georgia’s Department of Administrative Services, permits authorized state and local Georgia public entitles including colleges and universities, as well as local government, municipalities, cities, townships, counties, and other political subdivisions in the state, to purchase the MCI D4500 and next-generation D45 CRT LE Commuter Coaches.

The contract is also available to other states.

“MCI has a long history with the State of Georgia and welcomes the opportunity to have our best-selling D4500 and new, all-accessible D45 CRT LE as part of the Georgia contract,” said Tom Wagner, MCI VP, public sector. “Georgia’s arrangement is particularly innovative as a central purchase point for both in-state and out-of-state public entities, permitting agencies to efficiently and affordably acquire North America’s most reliable commuter coaches.”

MCI’s ADA-and Buy America-compliant Altoona-tested D4500 Commuter Coach model has a reputation as a workhorse and already serves GRTA Xpress routes throughout the greater metro Atlanta area, carrying more than 1.8 million passenger trips annually.

The MCI D45 CRT LE, introduced last October at Atlanta’s APTA EXPO, was developed in consultation with disability advocacy groups. The D45 CRT LE features a mid-coach low-entry vestibule with seating for all passengers, including those with mobility devices. The design offers an efficient, automatic ADA-compliant ramp capable of loading and unloading passengers.

“With 1 in 5 Americans today living with a disability and a future that includes an aging workforce with potential mobility issues, we consider the D45 CRT LE to be the right coach to meet passenger requirements,” said Wagner. Other variants of the D45 CRT LE are underway including a battery-electric model and a high floor coach equipped with a traditional wheelchair lift.

As this contract is not for a specific stated number of motor coaches and represents a robust alternative to participating public transit agencies for the purchase of a variety of mass transit vehicles, MCI does not record any of the coaches available under this contract in its backlog until actual purchase orders have been received from customers.