North American bus manufacturer Nova Bus, part of the Volvo Group and based in Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec, has received two major orders from Texas: 425 x 40-foot CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) buses from VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, plus 80 x Nova LFS® model buses and 20 x LFS Artic® model articulated buses from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) in Houston.
Delivery of buses to VIA will begin at the end of November 2016 and will support VIA’s ongoing all-CNG fleet conversion. In 2016, VIA became the only public transit agency in the Southwestern United States to earn certification from the International Standards Organization (ISO) for its proactive efforts to provide sustainable service through its Environmental and Sustainability Management System (ESMS).
The contract with METRO started in 2014, when the the authority purchased 70 articulated buses from Nova Bus. The buses will be part of a special replacement and expansion project, as the city is conducting new routes, with a need for 40-foot and artic buses. METRO runs about 1,200 heavy-duty buses. Once implemented, the fleet of 170 Nova buses will contribute greatly to meeting Houston’s rapidly-growing public transit needs. Based on the project fast-track development, vehicles delivery in the Houston market has recently begun.
The buses will be manufactured in Plattsburgh, state of New York.
(Source: Nova Bus)
