Nine new buses arrive
Published June 13, 2011 08:00
Metro introduces into service 9 new buses manufactured by New Flyer of America (St. Cloud, MN) the largest manufacturer of transit buses in the United States.
The 9 new low-floor buses (four 35-foot and five 40-foot) went on the road in mid-June. Prior to being put into service, the buses had to be outfitted with fareboxes, radio communication and video surveillance systems, bike racks, and exterior fleet graphics.
This is the third delivery of new buses for Metro in the past 20 months. In total Metro has replaced 42 aged buses, which had exceeded their useful life and averaged 16.5 years of heavy-duty transit service. All of the new buses are low-floor, with minimal step access, making boarding and disembarking much easier for passengers and are a particular benefit to customers using wheelchairs.
The first delivery of new buses was November 2009. At that time, Metro, formerly MAT, had not had a new bus since 2000. It was followed by the August 2010 delivery of 24 new buses fully funded with Stimulus monies.
This latest $3.2 million purchase and the 2009 delivery were funded by a Federal Transit Administration matching capital grant, with the local match typically being 17%.