Yesterday Transpo saw the arrival of the first new vehicle in over 11 years. There will be a total of 16 new fixed route buses to replace a 15-year old fleet that has reached its useful life. The New Flyer Xcelsior NGVs have the same length, at 35 feet, as the older buses, but offer four additional seats per unit. Transpo expects to have all 16 vehicles on property by the end of the year.
“This is an exciting time for Transpo”, said David Cangany, Transpo General Manager. “As we strategically plan for the future, the new buses utilizing natural gas will help reduce our operating costs and ultimately provide us with the needed resources to maintain our current level of service.”
The buses were purchased with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds. Transpo was responsible for a 20% local match which comes from funds such as advertising revenue and cash fares.
Transpo and the City of South Bend previously announced a partnership to build the first fast-fuel CNG station in the region that will be open to the public. Transpo plans to break ground on the new site, which will be located on their current property, later this year and open it in early 2015.
Source: Transpo
