November 30, 2022. New Flyer of America Inc. has received new firm orders for 41 transit buses from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) with options for up to an additional 432 buses. In total, New Flyer will add 617 Equivalent Units (EUs) to its backlog from firm and option orders. These units were included in NFI’s pending awards at the end of the third quarter of 2022. The firm orders include:
- 28 Xcelsior® compressed natural gas (CNG) forty-foot, heavy-duty transit buses, and
- 13 Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ battery-electric forty-foot, heavy-duty transit buses.
The five-year contract includes options to purchase forty-foot and sixty-foot Xcelsior® CNG buses, as well as forty-foot and sixty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ battery-electric buses.
MTS is one of the oldest transit systems in Southern California, serving the San Diego community for more than 135 years. MTS operates one of the cleanest public transit fleets in the United States, providing 88 million annual passenger rides across San Diego County on nearly 100 fixed bus routes.
Supported by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds, this order will help MTS meet its goal of transitioning to a zero-emission fleet, which is outlined in its multi-year “Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan”. In addition, the purchase will deliver on the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Innovative Clean Transit regulation, requiring agencies to transition to 100% ZEB fleets by 2040.
“MTS and NFI have had a great working relationship for many years, and we look forward to continuing it with this new contract,” said Sharon Cooney, MTS Chief Executive Officer. “To meet the demands of transitioning to all zero-emission bus fleet by 2040 we will need NFI to step up in a big way. As they continue to improve bus zero-emission technology and performance, I’m confident our transition will be successful.”
New Flyer equips all zero-emission Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ buses with next generation, long-range batteries, providing Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ sixty-foot and forty-foot buses with up to 763kWh and 654kWh of power, respectively, ultimately delivering high performance, more energy-efficient, and longer-range battery-electric buses.
New Flyer’s Xcelsior® CNG buses emit virtually no visible particulate matter, lending cleaner, more breathable air for the communities. New Flyer CNG buses conform to the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s comprehensive Heavy-Duty National Program, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption for heavy-duty highway vehicles.