Allison Transmission and TheRide Dedicate Buses Equipped with xFE

Allison Transmission Holdings Inc. and the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) have dedicated the first of 60 new buses equipped with the latest advances in fuel economy technology. Referred to as xFE, designating extra fuel economy, the new fully automatic bus transmission has demonstrated improvements up to 7 percent.

Allison Transmission and TheRide dedicated the first of 60 new buses equipped with the latest advances in fuel economy technology.

"This dedication ushers in a new era for fuel economy technology," said Heidi Schutte, executive director of North America sales for Allison Transmission. "As a customer for more than 20 years, we're pleased TheRide is the first transit agency in the world to feature our new xFE automatic transmission."

The new buses are part of TheRide's Five-Year Transit Improvement Program to implement new and expanded services, while also replacing older buses in the agency's fleet. So far, TheRide has taken delivery of eight buses with seven more due in November. Another 45 buses will be delivered over the next five years. In addition to the xFE transmission, the buses feature a new exterior design.

"We continue to seek new and emerging technologies that foster environmental responsibility," said Matt Carpenter, CEO of TheRide. "Allison Transmission's solid reputation for quality and reliability has been at the forefront of our successful relationship. Pairing the brand new xFE transmission with our bus fleet will serve as an important step as we implement both our new and improved services and our sustainability initiatives."

"Allison produced the world's first automatic transmission for a city bus in 1947," said Schutte. "Building on that heritage, our xFE transmission is the newest in a long line of innovative and reliable products for transit buses. Our goal with the new xFE portfolio is to achieve the best fuel economy from an automatic transmission in a bus."