As passenger counts climb and its territory grows, TAPS Public Transit is always keeping an eye on both the size and quality of its fleet. Keeping pace with the growing use of public transportation in North Texas means more buses is always on the agency’s wish list.
On April 11 the first delivery of four 12-passenger buses —of a total eight buses in this $588,360 order funded by TxDOT— will roll into TAPS Public Transit’s Sherman facility just before noon.
TAPS CEO and Executive Director Brad Underwood, said the process of funding, ordering and getting new vehicles can be a long road.
“Our maintenance department has done a spectacular job of keeping our fleet in a state of good repair and on the streets,” said Underwood, “but each vehicle has a lifespan and you need to be adding new buses to the fleet on a regular basis.”
The buses being delivered this week are manufactured by Glaval Bus, a division of Forest River Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company and purchased through National Bus Sales. TAPS has purchased a number of Glaval buses over the years.