Ron2themax

Courtesy of Metro-Magazine The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) and Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) have agreed to purchase electric buses and chargers from Proterra, becoming the 100th customer for the company. DTE Energy will work with DDOT, SMART and Proterra on the charging infrastructure. DDOT will receive two 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 Max buses, two Proterra 125 kW plug-in chargers and one 500 kW overhead fast-charge system. SMART will receive four 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 buses with DuoPower drivetrain technology, four Proterra 125 kW plug-in chargers and one 500 kW overhead fast-charge system. DDOT and SMART provide public transit to the southeast Michigan region. DDOT is the largest public transit agency in Michigan providing service to the city of Detroit and neighboring cities and SMART operates primarily in suburban areas. SMART and DDOT were awarded $2.6 million through the Low- or No-Emission Vehicle (Low-No) Program from the FTA for the electric buses and charging systems. The Proterra electric buses are the first electric buses for both organizations and the vehicles will replace aging diesel buses. DTE Energy will work with SMART, DDOT and Proterra to provide the utility infrastructure necessary for charging the buses while on-route and at the respective terminals. Proterra and DTE Energy also recently announced a project to provide battery-electric school buses to Michigan schools for pupil transportation and to conduct a vehicle-to-grid pilot program. In addition to battery-electric buses, Proterra provides purpose-built high-power charging systems for heavy duty EV fleets. All charging systems utilize standardized technology so customers could charge a range of electric vehicles on the same Proterra charger. In addition to the charging hardware, Proterra offers a full suite of options to enable turn-key delivery of a complete energy ecosystem for heavy-duty electric fleets including design, build, financing, operations, maintenance and energy optimization with Proterra Energy fleet solutions.

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article235189287.html

Good luck to coalition if they think NJ Transit would make the fare structure on flat fare. Ain't gonna happen since it's a state operated system and not a city or municipal transit agency. As far as tap and go, did NJT had that pilot program in Jersey City's Greenville Garage of Buses where they have that tap device next to the driver and farebox? I think it's a trans-hudson like tap and go..I could be wrong

Route 9 being the money maker and those folks along the route have a loud voice, hence NJT will cater to them more unlike some of the local routes they don't care about. It's a shame really because you would expect thise folks who are working in the transit industry, in particular NJT would be pro transit. They'll do what they can to attract riders of the future and current riders for transit growth and caring for the environment. Rather than just collecting an easy paycheck and slash service just because one of the reasons they don't have enough drivers, catering to the popular routes and have outdated bus garages that are not up to modern standards and holding capacity vehicles into the 200s if not 300. You know I often question as to where was the cry out from the public during the Christie Administration when he literally threw NJT into the ground. It's like they just went along for ride until they get a new Governor to clean up the mess. If I go off topic I apologize. NJ Transit should be in the likes of LACMTA, Seattle King County Transit and other mid to large size transit agencies that already invest in transit and into the future.

If NJ Transit wants too, they could replace all the older MCI diesel bunch in Howell while still keep the Ex-MTA cruisers. I think the only coaches in Coach USA that are replaceable now is the remaining Rockland Coaches MCIs. I don't know if Suburban has any old MCIs running around. As for Academy, it's kinda funny that they will now have a mixture of 17s', 19s' and now 20s'. I agree it's time for both Meadowlands and Ironbound Garages to get their fair share of fresh MCIs. Remarkably guys that Wayne Garage for whatever reason still has three older 03' 45 footers left running. At least Transit replaced all the seat upholstery in them buses. I wish they have kept 8292 around as well. The sound of that Jake brake in 8292 is superbly loud and smooth, oh well.

Courtesy of New Flyer Industries: BUSESMENU News Releases New Flyer announces additional 110 buses ordered for Washington, DC transit system September 17, 2019 | New Flyer St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA – September 17, 2019: (TSX: NFI) New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, today announced three new orders from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (“WMATA”) for a total of 25 forty-foot Xcelsior® clean-diesel buses, 75 forty-foot Xcelsior compressed natural gas (“CNG”) buses, and ten sixty-foot articulated Xcelsior clean-diesel buses (a total of 120 equivalent units or “EUs”). The order converts 110 buses from the option backlog to firm orders. The new order replaces older, end-of-life vehicles and delivers on WMATA’s plan to improve transit service and reliability, while also increasing efficiency and sustainable mobility for residents in the capital region. In addition, the articulated buses deliver higher passenger capacity, allowing WMATA to move up to 115 passengers per bus along its busiest routes. New Flyer has delivered nearly 1,400 buses to WMATA since 2001, including electric hybrids, zero-emission battery-electric, and low-emission compressed natural gas (CNG). “Since WMATA’s first Xcelsior arrived in 2011, we have continued to support its ridership growth with hundreds of safe, reliable, and efficient Xcelsior buses to keep America’s capital moving,” said Chris Stoddart, President, New Flyer. “With leading technology, buses, and infrastructure solutions, New Flyer is proud to support WMATA’s move toward sustainable mobility while offering greater reliability, increased capacity, and cleaner air for the Washington metro community.” New Flyer has delivered over 10,000 of the Xcelsior heavy-duty transit bus model, together accumulating over one billion miles of revenue service across North America. Its CNG powered buses reduce fleet NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions by 90% over conventional diesel-powered vehicles, and since 1994, New Flyer has delivered nearly 13,000 CNG buses across Canada and the U.S. Its clean diesel buses also use leading technology that results in highly efficient, virtually smoke-free engines, which can achieve low emissions and help reduce particulate emissions by 90% and NOx emissions by 95%. WMATA is a tri-jurisdictional government agency operating public transit service in the Washington metropolitan area including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. WMATA’s Metrobus is the sixth busiest bus agency in the United States, providing over 62 million passenger trips per year with a fleet of more than 1,500 buses. New Flyer has been leading innovation in transit buses for nearly 90 years. In 2017, it opened the Vehicle Innovation Center, the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology, and in 2018 became the first bus manufacturer in the world to sign on to the Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities. It is the only provider of full-suite bus solutions in North America and has the broadest range of drive systems in North America

The same with route 703 in the direction going to the Mall. Drivers have to put a 703 sign on the windshield. Anyhow, this is going to be very interesting. I would hope that NJDOT, NJ Transit, Turnpike Authority, the municipalities that are close by the highway network are prepared for what's to come during the holiday shopping season. That was very strategic on the Mall developers part to open before holiday season. I expect heavy police presence and mad mall security

I've always said that NJ Transit should've expand bus route 705 to Sunday service It is because of the amount of Willowbrook Mall shoppers and some workers that come from Clifton and majority of them from Passaic.

As if it was competing against "The Mall of America" in Minneapolis/ St. Paul

Yep! Routes 107 and 108 are known to have Nabi transits in the mix with the suburbans during the rush. Heck, at the time when the Flxible Metro D suburbans were running on those two routes. NovaBus RTSs occasionally showed up running the New York routes. Equipment availability

Some trips of route 1 to Penn Station and perhaps Jersey City Exchange Place via River Terminal

I still don't understand why NJT doesn't have a reserve/storage fleet. It's laughable that Nabi suburbans are on artic routed 13 and 39. It tells you how very short of buses they have and I guess some of their artics are beat up, therefore in the shop. Passengers are getting a special ride on those buses. Let's hope they know where the stop request push button is located

Always been the case of Academy using state owned commuter buses for their charter runs and special trips instead of their own buses.

Fianlly the 119 gets it's 7 days a week service. That was a stupid decision by transit not to have Sunday service during the transition of the route being run by Academy after Red & Tan folded

It's one of the reasons why they should approve the option order of the extra 85 artics on top of the base order of 85. NJT should consider putting artics on both of those lines. I understand those routes have tight turn radiases at corners and loops. This is the perfect time for transit to do their homework by putting some artics on a few runs and see what areas of the routes are hiccups and what solutions to come up with to make routes 1 and 25 artic friendly. If not artics then you might as well put let's say 25 or so standard length buses on those routes to relieve the overcrowding on weekdays. Question is do they have the extra drivers and equipment? That's the problem

I'm sure Market Street can house some 45 footers. They've been known from time to time of keeping some of Wayne's 45 footers at there garage, whether it's breakdown or not. A couple months ago I saw one of Wayne's new 19000 MCI sitting alongside Market's older MCIs outside. I told myself that bus can't be broke. It's too damn new not to be shot. Could it be maintenance training and or driver's to get a look inside and out of the bus, don't know

Saw the notice of schedule changes on the bus coming August 31st. It's about damn time NJ Transit decide to bring the SUNDAY service to route 119. Before NJ Transit gave the route to Academy they should've stayed with the 7 days a week service to begin with. Next is for NJT to expand the service hours to 24/7 on that line like the old CUSA "Red and Tan" route 99S. I see route 166 getting big service increase..10 extra trips. Demand for that route is big time. The 123 route by all means needs to keep expanding with more increase service and trips past 2am or 24/7. That route continues to increase in demand of people who are living in both Union City and Jersey City Heights going to and from NYC. I am suprised that none of the local routes didn't receive changes. Mind you the schedule change notice is of the Northern Division

Depends on the driver. The 175 does run MCIs. As far as route 171, I know one driver that specifically drives an MCI every weekday. Very rarely he gets a Nabi.

Courtesy of Mass Transit Magazine: BUS PACE ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF PULSE MILWAUKEE LINE Pace announces launch of Pulse Milwaukee Line Pace Suburban Bus AUGUST 8, 2019 Tweet Share 0 PACE SUBURBAN BUS Pace is launching its first Pulse rapid transit line, the Pulse Milwaukee Line, with operations starting August 11. Passengers traveling along Milwaukee Avenue between the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Jefferson Park Transit Center and Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles will soon benefit from increased service, state-of-the-art stations, and improved customer communications with real-time bus tracker signs at every boarding location. "Pulse represents the next generation of Pace service," said Pace Chairman Richard Kwasneski. "The frequency and affordability of this service will improve access to jobs, education, medical care, shopping and entertainment for the residents we serve." Modern purple buses branded with the Pulse logo and equipped with WiFi and USB charging ports will serve completely accessible stations featuring raised platforms to facilitate faster boarding, prominent vertical markers with local and regional maps and real-time bus arrival information, heated shelters with seating, snow-melt pavement and bike racks. All stations will feature community expression elements designed in partnership with the communities and businesses along the route. "A lot of hard work has gone into launching this service," said Executive Director Rocky Donahue. "I would like to thank our dedicated staff and all of the agencies, organizations and communities that had a hand in this, including the village of Niles, city of Chicago, Regional Transportation Authority, Illinois Department of Transportation, Chicago Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Authority, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and HNTB. There are also several business and property owners along the corridor who deserve a big thank you. This wouldn't be possible without their partnership and support." Pulse service will operate on weekdays between 5 am and midnight with 10-minute frequency during rush hours, 15-minute frequency during non-peak hours until 10 pm, and every 20 minutes from 10 pm until midnight. On Saturdays, Pulse service will begin at 5:30 am and on Sundays it will start at 6 am. Service on both Saturday and Sunday will run until midnight. On weekends and holidays, Pulse will run every 15 minutes until 10 pm when it will transition to every 20 minutes. As Pace finishes work at several stations this fall, passengers may have to use a temporary bus boarding area in some locations after the August launch. The launch of the Pulse Milwaukee Line corresponds with a reduction in frequency on the mostly-overlapping Route 270. Route 270 will continue to make all local stops.

Courtesy of the Sacramento Bee paper and shown on Mass Transit Magazine: TECHNOLOGY FARE COLLECTION CA: SACRAMENTO CITY STUDENTS SOON WILL RIDE BUSES FOR FREE. WILL SUBURBAN STUDENTS BE NEXT? CA: Sacramento city students soon will ride buses for free. Will suburban students be next? Tens of thousands of students living in Sacramento or attending school in Sacramento will soon be able to ride buses or light rail trains for free any time under an agreement between transit and city officials. TONY BIZJAK AUGUST 14, 2019 THE SACRAMENTO BEE Tweet Share 0 Aug. 13--Tens of thousands of students living in Sacramento or attending school in Sacramento will soon be able to ride buses or light rail trains for free any time under an agreement between transit and city officials. The Sacramento Regional Transit board on Monday approved what district officials say could be a groundbreaking student free-ride program, beginning Oct. 1, boosting ridership and helping families with what is often a daily logistical headache: How do parents get to work and get their kids to school if the children attend a school that isn't within walking distance? The change allows families to save as much as $240 a year per student, based on the savings from no longer having to buy a $20 monthly pass. Sacramento City Unified School District officials say the free rides should boost school attendance. "We are very excited to partner with SacRT so students won't have that challenge getting to school," school district spokesman Alex Barrios said. "We have a high concentration of absenteeism rates. A study we conducted showed transportation is one of the major barriers to attendance." An estimated 100,000 city of Sacramento students are eligible. The city of Sacramento has agreed to compensate SacRT up to $1 million to subsidize the program for the first year. The program will be called "RydeFreeRT," a name devised by a group of students working with SacRT. Transit officials are putting together a promotional campaign. Schools will have stickers this fall to put on student IDs. SacRT officials say they hope to extend their free-ride program to students in the agency's entire service area, which covers most of Sacramento County. Transit officials say they are in talks with other cities and school districts in hopes of getting funding agreements to expand the program. "I think it going to make a significant difference in the lives of a lot of our families in our community," said SacRT board member Jay Schenirer, a city councilman and former city school board member who championed the program. The new program represents a major reversal. Two years ago, SacRT had one of the highest student pass rates in the country at $55 per month. That was reduced in 2017 to $20 per month. Transit officials say they hope the program will boost paid ridership longterm by introducing a young generation of Sacramentans to bus and rail ridership. Sutter Health has signed on to conduct a study of the effects of the program. "We are trying to create lifelong riders," Schenirer said. Sacramento's school year begins Aug. 29. Students using buses will have to purchase a pass for the month of September, before the free pass program kicks in in October. The agency will launch a major overhaul of its bus routes beginning Sunday, Sept. 8. For information on the new routes, go to www.sacrt.com/forward. ___ (c)2019 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) Visit The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) at www.sacbee.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Courtesy of the Colombus Dispatch newspaper and shown on Mass Transit Magazine: TECHNOLOGY FARE COLLECTION OH: MORE DOWNTOWN WORKERS TAKING THE BUS BECAUSE OF CPASS OH: More Downtown workers taking the bus because of Cpass More Downtown workers are choosing not to drive to work because of a program that provides them free rides on Central Ohio Transit Authority buses, a survey shows. MARK FERENCHIK AUGUST 15, 2019 THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Tweet Share 0 More Downtown workers are choosing not to drive to work because of a program that provides them free rides on Central Ohio Transit Authority buses, a survey shows. CJI Research surveyed 2,655 Downtown employees and 129 employers in May and June about the Cpass program. According to the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, researchers found that: • Bus ridership among the survey group grew from about 5% before June 1, 2018, when the Cpass program started, to between 10% and 14% in June 2019. • 68% of those surveyed said that Cpass was the reason they started riding COTA buses; an additional 26% said it helped motivate them to use COTA. • 52% of surveyed companies reported that employees had relinquished parking spaces because they began taking the bus. • New riders are generally younger: 35% of those switching are 32 or younger, and 83% are younger than 55. Cleve Ricksecker, the special improvement district's executive director, said the program has done what he and others thought it would: shift people toward transit. The program has enrolled more than 422 Downtown companies, according to the special improvement district. Ricksecker said 30,000 to 32,000 workers in the district are eligible. Cpass members take about 25,000 trips each week. Get the news delivered to your inbox: Sign up for our morning, afternoon and evening newslettersAccording to the survey, the highest rate of Cpass adoption was among people working Downtown for less than a year, at 31%. Also, 34% of the companies surveyed said that Cpass helps them recruit and retain employees, and 17 companies said it played a role in their renewal or signing of a lease in a Downtown building. "I think from COTA's standpoint, it is what we wanted to see," said Michael Loges, COTA's senior economic-development project manager. "The whole goal was to make it easier for people to work Downtown, more affordable to work Downtown." The program is scheduled to end Dec. 31, 2020; property owners are to decide late this year whether to agree to fund the program beyond that. "They need to weigh the value of the program versus how much they will pay," Ricksecker said. "I'm really proud of the Downtown property owners," he said. "They took a risk and are being rewarded for it." Property owners pay a total of $2.5 million through assessments for the Cpass program. Another $2.5 million in federal funds comes through the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Business people and property owners in the Short North, the Discovery District just east of Downtown, and the RiverSouth area along the Scioto River are interested in the program being extended to serve their areas. "We're having conversations with COTA now," Ricksecker said. "I do think employers should be paying for transit." Some Downtown business managers say the program helps them attract and retain workers. "It definitely has helped our associates in their ability to get to and from work," said Geri Lombard, who manages the Hotel LeVeque, which employs a little more than 100. "It is a hiring incentive. Not all the Downtown areas have that incentive." Juan Laginia, manager at the Crowne Plaza, said the Cpass program offers a benefit to employees who have to deal with scarce parking. Laginia said the hotel does not offer free parking to employees but subsidizes it for some managers. Downtown companies such as State Auto and Root Insurance pay for employee parking. The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Columbus Foundation funded the $25,000 study. mferench@dispatch.com @MarkFerenchik ___ (c)2019 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at www.dispatch.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Courtesy of Mass Transit Magazine: 8/16/19 BUS REDESIGNED STATEN ISLAND EXPRESS BUS NETWORK RECEIVES IMPROVEMENTS, FASTER BUSES AND INCREASED RELIABILITY IN FIRST YEAR SINCE LAUNCH Redesigned Staten Island Express Bus Network receives improvements, faster buses and increased reliability in first year since launch One year of data proves success of new SIM network driven by unprecedented engagement with customers and local stakeholders. MTA – New York City Transit AUGUST 16, 2019 Tweet Share 0 MTA It’s been one year since the Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete redesign of the Staten Island express bus network and newly released data shows the express bus service between Manhattan and Staten Island has steadily improved across all metrics due to an unprecedented level of engagement with the MTA among customers, labor partners, local agencies and elected officials. "The Staten Island express network redesign has been a success, with a year’s worth of data showing solid improvements in every measure of customer service and bus performance,” said NYC Transit President Andy Byford. “Our Staten Island customers were incredibly engaged throughout the process, and we are grateful for their advocacy, their commitment to us and the redesign, their patience, and for sharing their feedback that continues to inform our express bus operations and customer service initiatives. We’d like to thank everyone who is involved in this process, including our labor partners at ATU Local 726, NYPD, NYCDOT, and especially Borough President Jimmy Oddo, who continues to work with us very closely to keep this momentum going." The Staten Island express bus redesign was implemented in August 2018 to improve long and unreliable commutes between Staten Island and Manhattan. Utilizing trip performance data, ridership profiles and extensive customer input, New York City (NYC) Transit concluded that the most effective way to make substantial improvements would be to undertake a comprehensive reorganization of the network. The redesign streamlined trips with more direct routing that took advantage of transit priority street designs, balanced stop spacing, minimized routes on local streets and allowed NYC Transit to effectively redistribute resources to areas where they were most needed. The redesign increased both the span and frequency of service for Staten Island Metro (SIM) customers, adding 121 more trips every weekday, 76 more trips every Saturday and 50 more trips every Sunday than the previous express bus network provided. Customers now have more options during off-peak hours and weekends across numerous routes and more service with three new routes. Since the redesign, ridership on the Staten Island express bus network, which serves nearly 36,000 customers each weekday, stayed relatively unchanged, bucking a years-long national trend of declining bus ridership. Other improvements in SIM service from the network redesign include: · More trips: MTA added 121 trips every weekday, 76 trips every Saturday and 50 trips every Sunday compared to the previous network, including off-peak and weekend service. · More routes: MTA added three new routes – the SIM11, SIM33C and SIM9 · More Service: MTA extended route spans – increased the amount of time a route operates – on the SIM1, SIM34 and SIM4/4C · Faster buses: In July 2019, average SIM bus speeds were 5.5 percent faster, or 17.2 mph, compared to 16.3 mph in June 2018 under the old network. Average SIM speeds are going up, to 17.2 mph year-to-date from 15.7 mph for the same period in 2018. · More reliable: In spring 2019, 71.2 percent of customers finished their trip within five minutes of the scheduled time, up from 63.9 percent in spring 2018. · Shorter waits: In July 2019, SIM customers waited for shorter periods – one minute and 15 seconds beyond their schedule wait time -- at stops compared to one minute and 40 seconds under the old network last July. · Less crowding: In July 2019, 30 weekday trips and two weekend trips had standees, compared to 42 weekday trips and five weekend trips under the previous network in July 2018. · Improved transit priority: NYC Transit and MTA Bridges and Tunnels are working closely with New York Police Department (NYPD) and New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) to keep traffic moving near the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel during evening peak hours. The multi-agency collaboration began in fall 2018 has led to faster bus speeds by 29 percent, increasing to 8.2 mph in July compared to 6.3 mph last fall. · Harnessing new technology: Seat availability information for Staten Island express buses is now available online and via the MYmta smartphone app. The technology was first tested by a select group of SIM customers who provided feedback during the bus network redesign, and the feedback from SIM customers will guide the larger rollout of the technology to include all MTA buses. NYC Transit approached the redesign with a customer-led focus and held multiple community open houses and a public hearing, conducted customer surveys on buses and at stops and hosted online surveys for those who were unable to provide feedback in person. NYC Transit worked closely with riders, local community members, elected officials, advocates, partner agencies such as NYPD, NYCDOT and MTA Bridges and Tunnels, and the ATU Local 726 bus operators’ union, led by Danny Cassella. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication shown by our employees throughout the Staten Island express bus redesign,” said Craig Cipriano, acting president of MTA Bus Company and acting senior vice president of NYC Transit’s Department of Buses. “Thanks to our Road Operations team who, with our union partners, used their daily experience to help identify issues and improve SIM service to best meet the needs of our customers. Our collaborative efforts with Borough President Oddo has also been instrumental in the success of our new SIM network. This was the first of our ongoing bus network redesigns and demonstrated MTA’s commitment to a process that resulted in tangible improvements for our customers.” The lessons learned from the Staten Island express bus redesign are being applied to borough-wide express and local bus network redesigns that are underway in the Bronx and Queens as part of NYC Transit’s Fast Forward modernization plan to improve service. These redesigns are also customer-focused, drawing on community outreach and feedback to complement NYC Transit’s analyses of current bus routes, future residential and business developments, customer travel itineraries and surveys. The bus network redesign for Brooklyn will launch in coming months, followed by the local bus network redesign on Staten Island. Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said. “For the past year, we have worked every day to get this right, to be accountable, and we continue to do so. We have conference calls with the MTA and ATU 726 twice weekly, and every day my team scours social media for issues that we forward to the MTA. We are better off today under the ‘SIM’ system than we would have been under the old 'X' system, and the data shows that. We still have more work to do to make this a better network for more riders, and I will continue to be a vocal advocate to change some of the structural realities that plague commuting in New York City.” ATU Local 726 President Danny Cassella said, “The Staten Island express bus network today is a significant improvement over the old network, and its success shows that the MTA is open to feedback and collaboration. We are very proud of the work we have done and that the data backs up what we see and hear on the streets and in our buses every day.”

Courtesy of Mass Transit Magazine: 8/16/19 The Société de transport de Laval (STL) will launch Quebec’s first fully electric bus line in 2020 using battery-electric buses with a range of 250 km (155.3 miles). The first of those buses was unveiled at an event on Aug. 15 and will be used for testing and validation ahead of the bus line’s opening. "The addition of this all-electric bus to the STL network perfectly embodies the essential shift in direction that we must make in Québec. I am therefore very pleased to be taking part in today's inauguration, and I hope this initiative will have a ripple effect on other transit authorities in Québec," said Québec Minister of Transport and Minister responsible for the Estrie Region François Bonnardel. The bus line will consist of 10 Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses from New Flyer and STL will utilize overnight depot charging. Fleet procurement was made possible by a combined C$9.6 million (US$7.21 million) in federal and provincial funding. STL has committed to buy only electric buses beginning in 2024. “Now more than ever, we must do our best to preserve our environment and build sustainable transportation. New Flyer is pleased to support STL and commends its leadership in the evolution to zero-emission mobility, building cities with greater livability, and improving quality of life,” said New Flyer President Chris Stoddart. “We are delighted to partner with STL and provide buses, infrastructure solutions and technology that features Canadian intellectual property in motion and leverages over 50 years of New Flyer experience in manufacturing zero-emission buses.” STL explains that the electric bus will offer riders a smoother and quieter ride, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 to 80 metric tons annually. "This public-transit vehicle of the future is great for the environment, first of all, and second, it will make for a more enjoyable user experience, since it's quieter. Electric buses are clearly part of our future vision in Laval," said Laval Mayor Marc Demers.

Courtesy of Mass Transit Magazine: 8/16/19 BUS VEHICLES DOUBLE-DECKER BUSES ROLLING INTO SERVICE AT TRANSLINK THIS OCTOBER Double-decker buses rolling into service at TransLink this October The first of 32 double-decker buses have arrived in Metro Vancouver. TransLink AUGUST 16, 2019 Tweet Share 0 Double-decker buses are coming to the Richmond, Delta and Surrey, B.C., areas this October after a successful four-month pilot. The first of 32 double-decker buses on order have arrived to expand the current fleet and replace aging highway coaches, providing a less crowded and more comfortable experience for customers. The first double deckers will service the 301 Newton Exchange / Richmond-Brighouse station and the 620 Bridgeport / Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. The 555 Lougheed Station / Carvolth Exchange route will be added January 2020. Customers travelling on a double-decker bus will benefit from: · Almost double the seats of a highway coach; · Plug-in USB charging outlets; · Panoramic views from the upper deck; · A wide, well-lit staircase with handrails to maximize safety; · A screen allowing customers to see vacant seats before going upstairs; and · Full accessibility with a low floor and boarding ramp. An order of 25 more double deckers is scheduled to arrive by Fall 2020, expanding to more routes throughout the region. “The double deckers are one way we are elevating the customer experience,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond. “This addition to our fleet not only improves capacity on our busier long-haul routes but also provides a unique experience to our customers.” The addition of the double-decker buses to the fleet is made possible by contributions from the Federal Government through the Federal Gas Tax (90 percent) and TransLink (10 percent). “Modern, efficient public transit infrastructure plays an important role in building strong sustainable communities,” said the Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “These new double-decker buses will help Metro Vancouver meet immediate needs and provide convenient, accessible transportation options that will improve the quality of life for residents today and contribute to a greener future.” For the first chance to board a double decker, one will be available for viewing at TransLink’s PNE exhibit. From August 17 to September 2, people can tour the exhibit which features a double-decker bus as well as an immersive virtual reality experience, a 3D animated model “MicroCity” of Vancouver and much more. Quick Facts: · Route 301 had a 21 percent increase in ridership in 2018 over the year before. · Route 620 had a 14 percent increase in ridership in 2018 over the year before. · The 555 reported over one million boardings in 2018.

Courtesy of Mass Transit Magazine: The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) Board of Directors unanimously approved the MetroNext Moving Forward plan. The action calls for a referendum to be placed on the Nov. 5, 2019 ballot for voters to consider $3.5 billion in bonding authority for Metro Harris County. The balance of the $7.5 billion plan would be funded through local dollars and federal funding grants. There would be no new tax increases for implementing the plan. The MetroNext plan includes 75 miles of MetroRapid service (Bus Rapid Transit), including a connection to Bush Intercontinental Airport, 16 additional miles of light rail including a connection to Hobby Airport, expanded two-way HOV/HOT lanes, 290 miles of BOOST or optimized bus service along heavily traveled routes and signature bus service on Westheimer with limited stops. The plan also calls for investments in 21 new or improved Park & Rides and transit centers, as well as accessibility and usability improvements for seniors and the disabled. In all, MetroNext includes about 40 transit projects.