ChicagoBus.org - News Briefs

NABI Buses Face Permanent Retirement

Kevin Zolkiewicz — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:06:00 -0500

The CTA’s fleet of over 220 North American Bus Industries articulated buses will not return to service, the Chicago Tribune reported today. The CTA will return the buses to NABI, which has now issued a voluntary recall. The CTA is the sole operator of the 60LFW model in question.

The NABI buses were originally sidelined last February after an out of service bus experienced a complete structural failure in its articulation joint.

According to the Tribune, the CTA is working with the Federal Transit Administration to “preserve federal interest” in the remaining value of the buses. The FTA typically requires that buses purchased with federal funds remain in service for at least 12 years. Eighty percent, or about $55 million, of the $102.1 million contract was paid with federal funds.

The Tribune also revealed that the CTA had plans to prematurely retire the NABI buses as early as September 2008. In a letter to the FTA, then CTA president Ron Huberman wrote that it was “no longer prudent to continue to operate these buses in revenue service.” Huberman requested the FTA’s permission “to remove the buses from service and dispose of them as quickly as possible.”

Aside from structural flaws in the frames, the NABI buses had long been prone to numerous mechanical defects related to the suspension, rear doors, and other areas. This often resulted in the buses experiencing a failure rate higher than that of buses three times their age.

The CTA is currently involved in ongoing litigation with NABI, sparked after the agency stopped payment on the bus contract in 2004.

While the removal of the NABI buses in February initially led to a major fleet shortage, the gap has been largely filled by ongoing deliveries of the 4000-series New Flyer articulated buses. Nearly all of the 150 buses in that order have been received, with an additional 58 new articulated buses expected to begin arriving in July.

CTA Orders 58 Articulated Hybrid Buses

Kevin Zolkiewicz — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:30:00 -0500

The CTA will receive 58 articulated hybrid buses from New Flyer of America, CTA President Richard Rodriguez announced this morning at the monthly meeting of the Chicago Transit Board. The $49 million purchase was made possible through federal stimulus funding.

The additional 60-foot buses will help fill the gap left by the sudden pulling of the NABI articulated bus fleet in February. The NABI buses, which totaled approximately 220 at the time, were parked after a bus experienced a structural failure in its articulation joint. The fate of the NABI buses continues to remain unknown as the CTA awaits an independent consultant’s report.

Delivery of the newly purchased buses is scheduled to begin in June. The CTA will possess a total of 208 New Flyer articulated hybrid buses following completion of the delivery in October. Last year, the CTA agreed to lease 150 articulated hybrid buses from New Flyer at a cost of $13.4 million per year. Delivery of those buses, numbered 4000 to 4149, is currently nearing completion. Today’s order is expected to continue the 4000-series numbering, running from 4150 to 4207.

New Flyer had already announced last October that CTA exercised options for 58 articulated hybrid buses. The manufacture later announced the awarding of a contract for up to 900 articulated hybrid buses, with a base order of 145 buses. The CTA has yet to make any announcements regarding the 900 bus contract. Initial funding for the contract could be provided through the recently-passed state capital program, which allocates approximately $172 million for the purchase of new buses.

CTA Pulls NABI Buses for Safety Reasons

Kevin Zolkiewicz — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:25:00 -0600

The Chicago Transit Authority announced this afternoon that it has pulled its entire fleet of 7500-series North American Bus Industries (NABI) model 60LFW articulated buses from service effective immediately. The decision was prompted by safety concerns after a NABI bus recently experienced a structural failure while pulling into a garage.

The NABI fleet was placed into service starting in 2003 and has been prone to a substantial amount of defects. Shortly after entering into service, cracks began to form in the articulation joint and axles of the buses. This, combined with other mechanical issues, often resulted in the buses having a failure rate higher than that of buses more than three times their age.

In 2004, the CTA stopped payment to NABI as a result of the ongoing issues with the buses. A lawsuit was also filed when NABI failed to make sufficient improvements under warranty. In May 2007, CTA Chairman Carole Brown stated on her blog that the CTA was still working with NABI to correct ongoing suspension problems, calling it a “serious issue” that “must be fixed.”

An early retirement of the NABI fleet had been suspected recently, as over a dozen of the vehicles dropped off the active fleet roster in January. At last count, approximately 200 of the buses had remained in service.

The CTA says the buses will be inspected by a structural expert before making a decision regarding their future. While FTA regulations typically require that buses purchased with federal funds remain on the road for at least 12 years, exceptions could be made in the event of safety issues.

The disappearance of NABI buses on the streets will result in a major fleet shortage for the CTA. The agency is advising customers to expect “challenges” during rush hour periods. Additional rush hour rail service will be added to the Red, Blue, Brown, Green, and Pink lines.

Last fall, the CTA began accepting delivery of up to 150 articulated hybrid buses from New Flyer of America, Inc. Currently approximately 94 of those buses are in service, with more arriving each week. However, their arrival will not completely solve the fleet shortage problem. CTA has also placed additional orders for articulated hybrid buses from New Flyer, but has yet to give a notice to proceed while the agency awaits capital funding.

CTA Awards Contract for up to 900 60-ft Hybrid Buses

Kevin Zolkiewicz — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:43:00 -0600

New Flyer Industries announced today that they have been awarded a contract for up to 900 articulated hybrid buses from the Chicago Transit Authority.

Last summer, the CTA issued a Request for Proposals for the manufacture and delivery of up to 900 articulated hybrid buses. Solicitation documents specified a base order of 140 buses with four contract options totaling 760 additional buses.

The cost of the contract was not revealed and it’s not yet clear if CTA plans to lease the buses or purchase them outright.

New Flyer also mentioned that the CTA has previously ordered a total of 208 hybrid articulated buses. While the CTA has thus far only announced the lease of 150 hybrid articulated buses, the 208 figure is in line with a previous announcement from New Flyer regarding exercised options for 58 articulated hybrid buses.

CTA Officially Unveils New Flyer DE60LF Buses

Kevin Zolkiewicz — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:38:00 -0600

CTA officials formally unveiled its New Flyer DE60LF hybrid articulated bus fleet at a press conference at 103rd garage this morning.

As previously reported on ChicagoBus.org, CTA began accepting deliveries of the buses in October. Currently approximately 22 of the buses have been delivered to the CTA. After a short round of deliveries to Kedzie garage, deliveries are currently being split amongst North Park and 103rd garages.

The CTA is leasing the buses at a cost of approximately $13.4 million per year. All 150 are expected to be in service by next summer.