New Flyer advances production of US$411.8M Philadelphia bus contract
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
105 diesel-electric buses are being manufactured by New Flyer of America for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority as part of a five-year contract for 525 buses
ST. CLOUD, Minn.—Winnipeg bus maker New Flyer Industries Inc. has announced that its U.S. subsidiary, New Flyer of America Inc., is advancing production of 105 Xcelsior diesel-electric buses for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
The order is the second installment of a US$411.8 million five-year contract for 525 of the forty-foot hybrid buses, approved by SEPTA in May 2016.
The buses will be deployed in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs of Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks and Chester, supporting four million people living in and around southeastern Pennsylvania.
“We are proud to deliver electric hybrids to the City of Philadelphia and the region,” said Wayne Joseph, president of New Flyer of America.
New Flyer builds its U.S. buses at its plants in St. Cloud, Minn., and Anniston, Ala.
The company says the diesel-electric Xcelsiors will help deliver on SEPTA’s strategic focus on environmental sustainability and tightened emissions controls.
SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey Knueppel noted that while over half of SEPTA’s current bus fleet are diesel-electric hybrids, at the conclusion of the five-year contract, hybrids will comprise 95 per cent of its bus fleet.
“SEPTA is proud to be an industry leader in providing cleaner, more fuel efficient travel by increasing hybrid buses in its fleet,” ” Knueppel said.
SEPTA is one of only two U.S. transit authorities that operates all five major types of terrestrial transit vehicles: regional (commuter) rail trains, heavy rapid transit (subway/elevated) trains, light rail vehicles (trolleys), trolley buses and motor buses.
