Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), based in Washington, D.C., has executed a contract with NABI Bus LLC for the supply of up to 654 new alternative fuel heavy-duty buses.
NABI, a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc., is already working on the first piece of the five-year contract: a total of 85 diesel-electric hybrid, 42-foot, low-floor buses. This initial order is scheduled to be delivered in its entirety within a year. These buses emit 80% less particulate matter and 96% less NOx than the model-year 1997 buses they will replace. They are also 20% more fuel-efficient.
The contract further gives WMATA the option to order up to 498 additional 42-foot buses and up to 71 60-foot buses over a five-year period. Per the agreement, these buses can be either diesel-electric hybrids or buses that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) (for 42-foot models).
WMATA operates one of the largest bus fleets in the U.S., with more than 1,500 units running 325 routes. The agency has been deploying CNG-powered buses since the early 2000s.
The new vehicles will be manufactured at NABI's facility in Anniston, Ala.
