New Flyer of America Inc. has announced an order from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for twelve sixty-foot articulated New Flyer Xcelsior diesel-electric hybrid buses (24 equivalent units). The order converts 12 buses from the option backlog to firm orders.
The buses will be propelled by low-emission, hybrid technologies that reduce air pollution and help WMATA achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The articulated, sixty-foot Xcelsior buses also deliver high-capacity transit along key WMATA routes, with 115 passenger capacity. Funding was supported by Federal Transit Administration grants.
“New Flyer is proud to offer innovative, low-emission transit solutions for WMATA that positively impact the nation’s Capitol by reducing emissions and also moving Washingtonians with greater efficiency,” said Wayne Joseph, president, New Flyer of America. “Sustainable transportation is at the heart of New Flyer design, and we are proud to continue our 90-year legacy with more low and no-emission bus options than any other North American transit manufacturer.”
WMATA provides approximately 400,000 trips each weekday in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. WMATA’s Metrobus is the sixth busiest bus agency in the United States, with a fleet of more than 1,500 buses. 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).
In 2018, New Flyer committed to leading collaboration, cooperation, and the technological advancement of Smart Mobility in North America. It also became the first bus manufacturer in the world to sign onto the Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities, which supports collaboration in developing multimodal, integrated cities through technology-driven innovation.
