SMART orders 80 more buses for 2017 delivery

[DetSMART45]

Key points:

--59 new buses by late spring 2016;

--80 more by 2017;

--Gillig BRT 40-footers;

--new buses will have 11 cameras inside/outside;

--average cost: $433,000 each.

 

No breakdown into how many diesel or diesel-electrics are in the orders, but new ones delivered and on the road so far have been DEs.  Hopefully they'll "splurge" on the new orders and get them equipped with windows that actually open.

 

https://www.smartbus.org/About/News/ArtMID/707/ArticleID/141/Millage-Promise-Kept-Another-80-Buses-Coming-to-SMART

[GojiMet86]

Key points:

--59 new buses by late spring 2016;

--80 more by 2017;

--Gillig BRT 40-footers;

--new buses will have 11 cameras inside/outside;

--average cost: $433,000 each.

 

No breakdown into how many diesel or diesel-electrics are in the orders, but new ones delivered and on the road so far have been DEs.  Hopefully they'll "splurge" on the new orders and get them equipped with windows that actually open.

 

https://www.smartbus.org/About/News/ArtMID/707/ArticleID/141/Millage-Promise-Kept-Another-80-Buses-Coming-to-SMART

 

Will that mean the RTS will be gone in 2017?

[DetSMART45]

SMART (suburban Detroit) got rid of their RTSes before the current fleet of 2001-3 Gilligs were purchased (2001s I think are pretty much gone now, haven't seen one since around March-April).  Never got any Nova RTSes, since they were keen to have all low-floors to avoid the problems with lifts.  Last RTSes were TMCs back in the 1990s.

 

DDOT (within Detroit) had some 2001-2 Novas that are probably in sad, sad shape.  Someone edited Wikipedia and says 2001s are getting retired now.  Once those are gone, DDOT will have a full low-floor fleet as well.

[GojiMet86]

SMART (suburban Detroit) got rid of their RTSes before the current fleet of 2001-3 Gilligs were purchased (2001s I think are pretty much gone now, haven't seen one since around March-April).  Never got any Nova RTSes, since they were keen to have all low-floors to avoid the problems with lifts.  Last RTSes were TMCs back in the 1990s.

 

DDOT (within Detroit) had some 2001-2 Novas that are probably in sad, sad shape.  Someone edited Wikipedia and says 2001s are getting retired now.  Once those are gone, DDOT will have a full low-floor fleet as well.

 

Thanks. I keep forgetting it's two systems.

[DetSMART45]

No problem, always glad to help.

[theaveragejoe]

SMART (suburban Detroit) got rid of their RTSes before the current fleet of 2001-3 Gilligs were purchased (2001s I think are pretty much gone now, haven't seen one since around March-April).  Never got any Nova RTSes, since they were keen to have all low-floors to avoid the problems with lifts.  Last RTSes were TMCs back in the 1990s.

 

DDOT (within Detroit) had some 2001-2 Novas that are probably in sad, sad shape.  Someone edited Wikipedia and says 2001s are getting retired now.  Once those are gone, DDOT will have a full low-floor fleet as well.

 

DDOT should be all low floor now since all the XD40's and XD60's are in service so all the RTS should be done

[Cait Sith]

Just how many Gilligs does DDOT have? I've kept up with them until they had a special ordered set of D40LFs(I think they're 2010s)

[DetSMART45]

Just how many Gilligs does DDOT have? I've kept up with them until they had a special ordered set of D40LFs(I think they're 2010s)

Just going by Wikipedia, 42 diesels and 4 diesel-electric hybrids.  I didn't think they had those 42, because I remember them making a little "to do" about the hybrids when they got them, but not the others.  Service cuts were going on in 2011 when they supposedly got those 42, and budget was tight.  When the hybrids came, I wondered especially since those were Gilligs, and DDOT had switched over to New Flyers since the 1990s except for the Nova RTSes in the early 2000s.  In any event, those Gilligs in under 5 years of service are probably looking/performing like they've been around for 10, with the way DDOT operates.  The New Flyers do stand up to the abuse, but the Gilligs, not so much.