SEPTA Board Approves Purchase of 525 New Hybrid Buses

The SEPTA Board has approved the purchase of 525 diesel-electric hybrid buses – another major step in the Authority’s ongoing effort to build one of the cleanest bus fleets in the nation.

The Board approved a $411.8 million, five-year contract with New Flyer of America Inc. for the 40-foot, low-floor buses during its monthly meeting for May. SEPTA also has an option to purchase up to 25 additional buses.
The new vehicles will allow SEPTA to continue the regular retirement and replacement of the oldest vehicles in its fleet with new, energy-efficient hybrids. The buses will be delivered to SEPTA over the course of the five-year contract with New Flyer.

“These bus fleet upgrades are critical to the Authority’s ongoing efforts to provide efficient, dependable service for our customers,” said SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon. “Thanks to dedicated state funding from Act 89, we can continue to plan for these types of purchases in the short- and long-term.”

Pennsylvania Act 89 was passed in November 2013 to provide a stable source of funding for transportation improvements statewide, such as infrastructure repairs and replacement of aging vehicles. With Act 89 in place, SEPTA has recently launched dozens of long-needed capital improvement projects throughout the transit system and across all modes of travel.

More than half of SEPTA’s current bus fleet is made up of diesel-electric hybrids. At the conclusion of the new contract with New Flyer, hybrids will comprise approximately 95 percent of the fleet.

"Public transportation has long been the most environmentally friendly way to get around, and it's only getting greener with more hybrid buses on the road," said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel. "SEPTA is proud to be an industry leader in providing cleaner, more fuel efficient modes of travel by bringing more hybrids into its fleet."