Chicago Transit Authority to purchase up to 600 Nova Buses
Nova Bus, a subsidiary of Volvo Buses and the leading North American transit bus manufacturer, have confirmed that the Chicago Transit Board approved the purchase of up to 600 new, 40-foot buses from Nova Bus.
These buses will help the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the second largest public transportation system in the United States that covers the City of Chicago and 35 surrounding suburbs, in its ongoing effort to modernize its fleet to benefit customers and reduce maintenance costs.
This decision allows for the purchase of at least 100 buses and options to purchase an additional 500 buses, which will enable CTA to maintain safe and reliable service while gradually retiring the oldest buses in its fleet. The CTA expects first prototypes in the coming months with deliveries beginning in early 2022.
“We are proud to continue providing transportation to our long-time partner, the City of Chicago, with our industry-leading LFS buses offering high capacity mobility solutions,” said Martin Larose, Vice President and General Manager at Nova Bus. “As public transit agencies demonstrate their incredible efforts to help continue to provide a critical lifeline to essential workers and to help communities begin to rebuild the economy, we are committed to delivering solutions that make sense for their daily operations and to once again have CTA’s confidence to accompany them in this journey.”
“We are very happy that Nova Bus has been awarded this important contract, and we congratulate them for this outstanding achievement. This is another acknowledgment of Québec’s expertise and excellence in reliable transportation. Québec is a world-class leader in sustainable transportation solutions, and we will continue to actively support companies like Nova Bus in their endeavors in the Midwest,” says Martine Hébert, Québec Delegate in the Midwest.
“This decision from a clearly satisfied customer is another major advance for Nova Bus and our region’s transportation equipment cluster,” says Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. “An order for up to 600 buses would be extraordinary from any city, but it sends an especially powerful message across North America when a major past customer such as Chicago chooses Nova Bus again. It’s a true testament to Nova Bus’ Plattsburgh operation, its suppliers and its skilled employees and something we can all be proud of. Congratulations and onward and upward!”
CTA’s bus system consists of 140 routes that make over 25,000 trips daily and serve nearly 12,000 bus stops throughout the Chicago region. CTA bus routes serve communities locally, move people across town, and several express services are provided.
The new 40-foot LFS buses will be similar to those added to the CTA fleet in 2018, but offer a host of features to improve the customer experience and promote safety, including improvements to the wheelchair ramps at the front door, a larger surface area and a reduced slope, making it easier for wheelchairs to use. Once again, Nova Bus demonstrated its competitiveness and showed that the Nova LFS has adapted to transit authorities’ needs over the years.
