On April 28, the directors of the Long Beach Transit Authority awarded a contract to BYD Motors Inc. for the manufacture of up to 10 new battery electric transit buses, with options to purchase 14 more at a later date.
In addition to the initial order for 10 BYD buses Long Beach Transit and their partner agencies have options to order up to 50 additional buses over the term of the contract.
“Long Beach Transit made a great decision today that will benefit regional air quality, reduce noise pollution, reduce petroleum based fuel consumption and help secure a cleaner and healthier future for Long Beach residents “stated Macy Neshati, BYD’s vice president of sales for BYD's coach and bus business. “In addition to the environmental and health benefits, the region will benefit from BYD’s continued capital investment as well as new jobs in the local community – these 60 buses will create or support hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in Los Angeles County.”