CA: New Flyer to supply 22 zero-emission buses to Omnitrans, adapted for BRT
New Flyer owner NFI Group added these zero-emission bus orders to its backlog in the first and second quarters of 2023. NFI also has a longstanding relationship with Omnitrans, which provides public transportation in 15 cities and San Bernardino County. The company counts eleven million trips annually on local and express bus routes, the BRT and on-demand services.
“Since 2000, NFI has delivered 300 buses to Omnitrans, and we are excited to continue supporting their transition to zero-emission mobility with our robust, long-range, battery-electric and fuel cell-electric buses,” said Chris Stoddart, President North American Bus and Coach, NFI. He added, New Flyer had “raised the bar with the 3-door application on the Xcelsior Charge NG, which will enable more efficient boarding for Omnitrans’ BRT project”.
The three doors allow boarding from both sides and support BRT platforms in the centre of roads by reducing crossing distances for wide roadways. New Flyer also lists increased curb space for accommodating other city infrastructure, such as protected bike pathways or parking spaces for the new BRT models. The three-door bus configuration is available to order for other transit companies as well and still utilises New Flyer’s proven Xcelsior platform.
Omnitrans will deploy the new buses on the 19-mile West Valley Connector BRT line connecting key locations across western San Bernardino County.
Erin Rogers, CEO of Omnitrans, said, “These Xcelsior buses will be a key element in bringing new connectivity to the community with our sbX BRT line.”
The purchase aligns with California Air Resources Board’s ‘Innovative Clean Transit’ regulation, requiring agencies to transition to 100% ZEB fleets by 2040.
California’s Santa Cruz County is another operator in the Golden State that has turned to New Flyer recently. Santa Cruz ordered nearly 60 FCEV buses for its Metro service in September.
NFI claims it has electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 140 cities in six countries. New Flyer has sold 8,600 battery-electric buses and claims 1,900 are zero-emission.
0 Comments