The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority, known as TransLink, has placed an order with New Flyer Industries Inc. for 45 Xcelsior compressed natural gas (CNG) 40-foot buses. The contract also includes options for TransLink to purchase an additional 135 CNG buses through two single-year renewable option periods.
‘The technology associated with CNG buses have proved to be cost-effective to operate and on par to maintain and drive when compared to traditional diesel buses,’ says Doug Kelsey, TransLink's chief operating officer. ‘We are pleased to continue our partnership with New Flyer as we add more of these vehicles to our fleet.’
The Vancouver-based transit agency has acquired more than 1,100 buses from New Flyer since 1991, including diesel-electric hybrid buses and electric trolleys. TransLink's last order for New Flyer CNG buses was in 2006.
The first 45 buses are anticipated to be manufactured in the third quarter of 2014 and delivered by the first quarter of 2015.
