Phoenix’s Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) has exercised options for 27 additional Xcelsior 40-foot, compressed natural gas (CNG) heavy-duty transit buses from New Flyer of America Inc.
The original joint contract with the City of Phoenix, awarded in November 2017, included up to 396 buses over five years. Currently, 91% of the Valley Metro fleet is powered by CNG buses, supporting local clean air initiatives and the RPTA’s 2016-2020 strategic plan to “advance the value of transit” throughout metro Phoenix, says New Flyer.
Since 2006, New Flyer has delivered over 800 buses and coaches to Valley Metro. New Flyer’s CNG buses, specifically, reduce fleet nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% over conventional diesel-powered vehicles, the company says.
Chris Stoddart, president of New Flyer, says, “CNG is a safe, scalable and reliable propulsion, making it ideal for cities looking to implement low-emission mobility on an immediate basis.”
Valley Metro is a regional public transportation agency providing coordinated, multimodal transit options to the greater Phoenix area, with 51 million passenger trips on its buses in 2018.
