[IMAGE]Valley-Metro-SmartwayFULL.jpg[/IMAGE] Roanoake, Va.-based Greater Roanoke Transit has added four new 57-seat Motor Coach Industries (MCI) Commuter Coaches to serve its expanding Virginia Tech service area.  The new Commuter Coaches will operate on the lines operated by The Smart Way, part of GRT’s Valley Metro system.

The new coaches, part of MCI’s D-Series, include wireless access, expanded luggage capacity, six 10-inch video monitors and a bike rack. The coaches are also wheelchair lift equipped.

[IMAGE]Monterey-SalinasFULL.jpg[/IMAGE] Meanwhile, Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), serving a 280-square-mile area of central and northern California, has added three fully equipped MCI Commuter Coaches to serve a growing need for extended commuter service to locations including San Jose and the Presidio of Monterey, home of the U.S. Army’s international language school.

MST has already taken delivery of two of the 57-seat Commuter Coaches, part of MCI's D-Series, the best-selling coach series in modern transportation history. The three coaches will carry passengers between Central California’s urban and rural areas and the San Francisco Bay Area.  The first two coaches were covered by the system’s equipment replacement budget, but the third, being delivered later this year, was paid for by federal stimulus dollars earmarked for rural transit and will focus on southern Monterey County.

[IMAGE]GaudreaultFULL.jpg[/IMAGE] In addition, the St-Charles-Borromée, Québec-based Groupe Gaudreault recently purchased two new fully equipped MCI J4500s. The two new MCI J4500s come equipped with the Cummins ISM 10.8-liter, 410 hp engine and a Allison B500 6-speed automatic transmission. The interior of both coaches are fully equipped with onboard Wi-Fi and individual power outlets accessible at all 56 seats in the cabin.