New York City Transit (NYCT) and the MTA Bus Co. (MTABC) (together, MTA) have approved the purchase of 29 additional New Flyer compressed natural gas (CNG) 40-foot heavy-duty buses.

The first 14 of the 29 buses will be purchased from a current NYCT contract signed on August 20, 2010.  The original contract contained 340 option buses and after exercising these 14 options, 76 options will remain in New Flyer's total backlog. The remaining 15 buses will be purchased under a Daimler Buses North America, Inc. (Orion) contract that was assigned to New Flyer on July 25, 2012 for MTABC. The assignment included 74 buses with 30 additional options of which, 15 options will remain in New Flyer's total backlog.

The combined NYCT and MTABC fleet consists of over 5,600 transit buses and express coaches covering nearly 300 routes, making it the largest transit fleet in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) approved the purchase of 10 New Flyer Xcelsior diesel-electric hybrid 60-foot heavy-duty buses.

The order for 10 articulated buses was placed using options from another U.S. transit authority. The original contract, signed in 2010, enabled the assignment of up to 67 options of which 33 still remain after this procurement and are currently included in New Flyer’s backlog.

Additionally, Maple Grove, Minn.-based Maple Grove Transit has approved the purchase of three Xcelsior diesel 60-foot heavy-duty buses.

The three buses were purchased from an umbrella contract with the procurement department of a US State.  New Flyer entered into this umbrella contract, in January 2012.  The contract is a ‘standing offer’ open to any US public transit agencies for up to 650 buses, and as a result, New Flyer does not record any firm orders or options as part of its total backlog until firm orders are placed against the contract.

The three articulated buses will be a new addition to Maple Grove Transit’s fleet, which currently operates approximately 35 express buses.  Maple Grove purchased an order of five low-floor (LF) diesel 40-foot buses that were manufactured by New Flyer and delivered to the Minnesota-based transit company back in 2006.