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Bus Manufacturers Off to Busy Start
MCI: Commuter Coaches for Houston, Connecticut
Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc. based in Des Plaines, IL, recently entered into contracts with public transit agencies in Connecticut and Houston to provide commuter coaches.
In Houston, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) awarded MCI a three-year contract for 139 coaches, including 10 options per year that would bring the total number to 169, with an approximate total value of $84 million. The new vehicles will replace older models, operating from park-and-ride locations and running on HOV lanes.
The relationship between METRO and MCI dates back to 2001 with the purchase of 391 commuter coaches during that period, including 122 coaches powered with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system.
Connecticut DOT has a $56 million contract with MCI for up to 112 45-foot commuter coaches, with the first 40 vehicles set for delivery later this year. The coaches, replacing older models and expanding capacity on CT Transit Express routes, will be delivered to private operators in urban areas statewide that provide commuter express services to CT Transit, the state-owned bus service.
Philip Scarrozzo, transit manager, Conn. DOT, said the order is the department’s largest. “Because we value our public-private working relationships, we want to assure these operators and the passengers they serve have coaches with the best technology available today,” he said. MCI provided Conn. DOT 41 commuter coaches in three previous orders.
Proterra Increases Manufacturing, Production
Proterra, the manufacturer of electric vehicles based in Greenville, SC, recently announced plans to open a second manufacturing facility and increase production at its Greenville facility while entering into the largest electric bus order in North America in Seattle.
The expansion plans, which include opening the second facility in the Los Angeles area and boosting production by 300 percent in Greenville, follow Proterra raising $140 million from private investors. The company also is developing a new generation of heavy-duty electric vehicles.
Proterra Chief Executive Officer Ryan Popple said, “2016 was a year of remarkable growth and technological achievement for Proterra, and we’re expecting this progress to continue unabated as more cities, communities and transit agencies across the country transition from diesel to clean, quiet battery-electric transport. … As 2017 continues, we’re looking forward to expanding electric mobility for the masses and supporting our partners in the transition to EV [electric vehicles].”
The arrangement between Seattle’s King County Metro Transit and Proterra includes the purchase of up to 73 battery-electric buses for up to $55 million and $5.5 million to $6.6 million for charging stations—part of a plan for the agency to acquire 120 all-electric buses by 2020. The initial order will be for 20 buses totaling $15.1 million, of which eight will enter service this year and the other 12 in 2019. The 73-vehicle order is part of the county’s Green Fleet Initiative.
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