Motor Coach Industries unveiled its new motor coach, the D45 CRT LE, at APTA Expo. The new coach is designed to accommodate all passengers with the creation of a low-entry vestibule that comes equipped with ramp and an adjoining seating area for mobility devices.
The new model is designed to change accessibility with speedy entry and exits for ADA riders. The coach also features forward facing seats, power outlets, overhead racks and Wi-Fi options.
“Now we want to do more, we want to make sure that our vehicles are accessible for everyone,” said Patrick Scully, executive VP, sales and marketing, MCI.
Brent Maitland, VP, marketing & product planning, MCI explained, “When we set forth to do this design we partnered with BMW Designworks. We needed to make sure that we properly engaged the users, so we embarked on the design process. We wanted to make it faster and we wanted to make it easy.”
Kelly Buckland, executive director, National Council on Independent Living was included in MCI’s work to make an efficient and accessible design. “I really want to complement the people in engaging us in the design process. They listened to what we said and made the design around that,” explained Buckland. “They invited me to come up to Winnipeg to see it. I’ve personally been stuck on a bus where the lift doesn’t work. This design makes it easy.”
It represents MCI’s vision for the future of public transit. The new D45 CRT LE was designed with changing passenger demographics in mind. In 2020 MCI will be offering an all-electric version of the coach, with sustainability and green preservation in mind.
