86 modern accessible transit buses coming to 13 Ontario municipalities

Metrolinx news release

Metrolinx, on behalf of 13 municipalities, has facilitated the purchase of 86 high-floor and low-floor eight-metre specialized transit buses for their fleets. All buses will be fully accessible and able to carry up to six passengers with personal mobility devices at the same time.

The 13 participating municipalities are Barrie, Burlington, Cornwall, Durham, Hamilton, Kingston, Milton, North Bay, Oakville, Quinte West, Sarnia, Welland and Windsor.

“Metrolinx is pleased to support municipalities through our Transit Procurement Initiative program to improve and expand public transit across Ontario,” said Bruce McCuaig, Metrolinx President and CEO. “By helping these municipalities get better value for their money, we continue to make progress on improving public transit services.”

“This partnership increases buying opportunities and, in turn, decreases costs to municipalities. New, accessible buses make taking public transit even more attractive,” said Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation. “This is proof of our government’s commitment to making the daily commute and quality of life better for Ontario families.”

“These new eight-metre specialized transit buses meet current accessibility, emission and technical standards that benefit all participating municipalities. The Metrolinx joint procurement process eliminates duplication of efforts and enhances value for money through the combined input of senior technical staff of the participating transit agencies.” said Peter Chatoff, Deputy General Manager, Maintenance and Equipment for Durham Region Transit. “This collaboration and sharing of knowledge and experience yields better value in base bus price, vehicle construction and warranty terms”.

The low-floor buses will be supplied by Creative Carriage Ltd., while the high-floor buses will be supplied by Overland Custom Coach Inc., both based in Ontario. The two contracts include, among other benefits, a complete vehicle two-year warranty, air conditioning, air ride suspension, automatic fire-suppression systems and electric powered accessible ramps or lifts. The number of buses being purchased is based on forecasts provided by each municipality at the time the procurement was posted publicly and are subject to local approval before orders are placed. Buses can be ordered anytime up to March 31, 2017.

The Transit Procurement Initiative (TPI) is a Metrolinx program that helps small- and medium-sized Ontario municipalities save money by reducing unit costs through higher volume purchases and performance-based specifications, avoiding duplicate procurement costs while improving product quality.

Metrolinx is working to provide residents and businesses in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) with a transportation system that is modern, efficient and integrated. Find out more about Metrolinx’sRegional Transportation Plan for the GTHA. Find out more about GO Transit, PRESTO, and Union Pearson Express, divisions of Metrolinx.