The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) has approved the purchase of 45 heavy-duty 40-foot New Flyer Xcelsior diesel-electric hybrid buses.

New Flyer has a long-standing relationship with San Francisco that dates back to 1988, with approximately 190 diesel and electric trolley buses being built and delivered since then. San Francisco has a total fleet size today of approximately 800 buses and trolleys, with New Flyer buses representing approximately 8% of the active fleet. The 45 new Xcelsior hybrids will replace 13 year old buses currently in service.

SFMTA will purchase buses from an umbrella contract with the procurement department of another state that enables the assignment of up to 500 options to any U.S. transit agency. The contract enables the buses to include the necessary components specific to San Francisco’s operating environment. This umbrella contract, which was announced in New Flyer’s press release on April 17, 2012, is a ‘standing offer’ open to public transit agencies across the U.S., and as a result, New Flyer does not record any firm orders or options as part of its backlog.

Pending final approval from the SFMTA’s Board of Supervisors, production of the 40-foot Xcelsior hybrid buses is anticipated to begin in early 2013 and will be manufactured and assembled bumper-to-bumper in New Flyer’s St. Cloud, Minn., manufacturing facility. All buses are expected to be delivered by the end of the summer 2013.