Manitoba-based manufacturer New Flyer Industries Inc. has announced that it won two large contracts in December: one for over 200 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, and another covering up to 424 hybrid buses.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) awarded New Flyer a deal for up to 212 CNG-powered XN40 Xcelsior transit buses. The agreement is a firm order for 202 of the heavy-duty, 40-foot vehicles and includes an option for up to 10 additional buses over the three-year contract period.
OCTA's current active transit bus fleet consists of approximately 525 buses, of which 521 have been built by New Flyer since 2006 and powered by natural gas. The new Xcelsior CNG buses will replace 192 liquefied-natural-gas-powered buses and 10 diesel buses that have reached the end of their useful life.
New Flyer CEO Paul Soubry says, “We are committed to continue our support and the partnership with OCTA.”
Separately, the San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI), overseen by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA), awarded New Flyer a contract for up to 424 diesel-electric hybrid Xcelsior transit buses
The contract includes a firm order for 61 units of 60-foot models, as well as an option for up to 363 more 40-foot and 60-foot Xcelsior buses that may be purchased over the five-year contract.
New Flyer says it has delivered 302 heavy-duty transit buses to SFMTA in a variety of lengths, models and propulsion systems since 1988. For example, this new award follows an order from MUNI for 50 40-foot Xcelsior hybrid buses, all of which are currently in service.
“Modernizing our transit fleet is at the core of Muni Forward,” says SFMTA Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin. “Replacing old vehicles with these state-of-the-art buses will augment existing efforts like “Red-Carpet Lanes' and transit signal priority. This purchase is an all-encompassing investment, by the SFMTA, that will help shorten trips while increasing service reliability.”
New Flyer's Soubry adds, “New Flyer appreciates the partnership developed with the SFMTA team over the last 25 years of repeat business, and we look forward to continuing to support their transit bus fleet development and replacement efforts.”
