[IMAGE]Blue.jpg[/IMAGE]The City of Santa Monica awarded a multi-year contract to NABI and issued a Notice to Proceed (NTP) for the purchase of nine 40-foot low-floor CNG transit buses with options to purchase up to an additional 58 buses over the five-year contract period subject to approval by the City Council.

The purchase of these buses is being made in part by the Federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) economic stimulus funding program.

The new alternate fueled CNG transit buses will replace nine 40-foot diesel powered buses, which have exceeded their 12-year useful life.

Additionally, the desirability of 40-foot low-floor buses for operation on Santa Monica Big Blue Bus (SMBBB) fixed-route services will continue to enhance SMBBB's operational efficiency and service quality.

With these additional nine 40-foot buses as well as the 16 60-foot articulated CNG buses recently awarded to NABI, 100 percent of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus fleet will be powered with alternate fueled propulsion systems.