By Lookout Staff
October 22, 2009 -- Eleven new flexible, cleaner-buring 60-foot buses will be joining the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus fleet starting in 2011, offering a new level of expanded service to the public, agency officials announced this week.
Three of the new buses are being purchased with funds from the federal government's economic stimulus package, and a provision in the contract allows the agency to purchase another ten buses as funding becomes available, officials said.
"These new NABI articulated Rapid Blue buses will not only be quick, beautiful and comfortable, but they're fueled by natural gas, which will reduce our carbon footprint and help keep the air cleaner," said Stephanie Negriff, director of transit services for the Big Blue Bus.
"We're excited to add these to our busy Rapid lines because they have the latest features people want, and they'll make riding more comfortable and less crowded, which will hopefully inspire people to take public transit more often," she said.
The new cleaner burning compressed natural gas buses will replace some of the older diesel buses in the fleet, eliminating tons of emissions from entering the atmosphere and lowering the transit agency's operating costs, agency officials said.
The first articulated buses will roll out on the popular Rapid 7 bus rapid transit (BRT) line on Pico Boulevard, which services Santa Monica College and is one of the agency's busiest routes. After the initial deployment on Rapid 7, the Rapid 3 line will also receive new buses.
The new North American Bus Industries (NABI) articulated models include interior features for maximum comfort and convenience for all passengers, including seniors and those with disabilities. Each bus has 53 seats instead of the usual 40, and runs on clean compressed natural gas, which is 77 percent cleaner burning than diesel fuel.
"NABI's 60-foot BRT vehicle is a rubber-tire solution to light rail," said NABI Senior Vice President Joe Gibson. "It offers many of the same amenities and features of rail, but with the flexibility afforded to bus route deployment.
"It also uses the latest in transit-signal technology, so it helps passengers get to their destinations quicker, oftentimes much faster than driving a car along the same stretch of road," he said.
The Big Blue Bus currently operates a fleet of more than 200 alternative fueled vehicles, carrying more than 20 million passengers a year around a 52-square mile service area of Los Angeles County.
Nationally known for its commitment to sustainable transit equipment and technologies, the agency recently opened a new $60 million eco-maintenance facility that includes three dedicated bays to service the new articulated models.
