Alexander Dennis announced Oct. 15 its new double deck won a $50 million order during the APTA Expo and just two days after the vehicles were launched.
Delighted at the response of the new product, Colin Roberts, CEO of Alexander Dennis commented “Our new low height concept has clearly captured the imagination of operators across North America and the initial response has been exceptional. I can confirm today that we now have firm orders for over 60 vehicles and in the months ahead, I expect that number to climb significantly.
“Interestingly, these early orders cover a mix of inner-city transit operations and interurban commute routes, both in the USA and Canada.
“The long and short of our new model is that at 13 feet, 6 inches, it can operate virtually anywhere in the USA and Canada without requiring over-height permits. Combine this with the fact that it carries twice as many passengers as a conventional single deck — but has the same footprint — and the rationale for the introduction of double decks becoming compelling.
“In addition, superb fuel efficiency, maneuverability, durability, reliability and lifetime value, all add to the proposition. My instinct is that the introduction of this new low height model — along with the fact that we now have significant numbers of double decks operating successfully in the USA and Canada — will stimulate demand across North America.”
Early orders for the new Enviro500’s include 17 for Community Transit, which will operate on interurban routes from May 2015. They will join 23 Alexander Dennis double decks that already form part of their fleet.
A further five new, low height vehicles will be introduced by nearby Sound Transit in June.
In addition, three will join the existing double deck fleet of 14 in Strathcona, a residential neighborhood in Edmonton; and another 40 are in the pipeline for elsewhere in North America.
Collectively, the new low height buses represent deals worth more than $50 million.
