The Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority (GCRTA) accepted the delivery of nine Motor Coach Industries (MCI) D4500 Commuter Coaches.
GCRTA has added the nine D4500 Commuter Coaches to its Park-N-Ride fleet, operating on its three direct routes to downtown Cleveland. GCRTA says the new MCIs are replacing older vehicles which significantly surpassed their 12-year useful life, and that it plans to add three more new D4500 coaches later in the year.
The MCI D4500 allows passengers to have forward-facing seating, overhead parcel racks and individual reading lights and air-flow controls at every seat.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant and Buy America certified, GCRTA's newest commuter coaches come equipped with wheelchair lifts, bike racks and feature new technology and safety systems, including GCRTA's first free Wi-Fi connectivity, USB ports at every seat, three-point passenger seatbelts, backup cameras and onboard surveillance cameras, according to the company.
The company says this delivery also showcases several technical improvements MCI has made to the model, including an electrically driven cooling system and the next-generation, lighter-weight Cummins X12 engine, which combine to deliver improved fuel economy, lower emissions and other improvements on the model’s total cost of operation. In total, GCRTA operates 38 MCI commuter coaches.
"We're proud to have our D4500 serve this leading transportation system in North America," said Tom Wagner, MCI vice president of Public Sector. "Our relationship with RTA began in 2001 and we're dedicated to optimizing the ridership experience for RTA while providing the best technical and parts support."
