B.C. bus maker secures Buy America compliance with Atlanta deal
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Grande West will produce buses in Atlanta with the help of its U.S. distributor Alliance Bus Group; the Canadian company has also announced its first order from a U.S. transit authority
VANCOUVER—Canadian bus manufacturer Grande West Transportation Group Inc. announced Mar. 28 that it has secured a manufacturing agreement to produce its Vicinity buses in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alliance Bus Group (ABG), Grande West’s exclusive U.S. distributor, will produce buses for sale to U.S. transit authorities, which are compliant with the U.S. Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Buy America requirements—a set of regulations that ensures procurement projects tap into American supply chains and use American products.
ABG will invest US$1 million to upgrade its 70,000 square foot manufacturing and service facility. The project is slated for completion by Q3 2017, at which time production of Grande West’s Vicinity buses will commence.
The Vicinity bus comes in a variety of sizes and models powered by either clean diesel or compressed natural gas. Grande West asserts that these buses are cheaper than standard transit buses and have a lower carbon footprint.
“This strengthens our working relationship and will provide additional Vicinity production options, as we can also leverage ABG assembled buses for private operators or Canadian transit authorities,” said Grande West CEO William Trainer.
Grande West also announced Mar. 27 an order from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) for 10 Vicinity buses, to be delivered by ABG.
The deal with MARTA is the first order Grande West has received from a U.S. public transit authority.
“Providing Vicinity to a U.S. transit authority is another major milestone for Grande West, as it demonstrates the broad North American appeal of our game changing mid-size bus,” Trainer said.
