BusTalk

RailBus63 · Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063

Boston-area shuttle operator Paul Revere Transportation has picked up a group of second-hand New Flyer D40LF's and D35LF's for use on its various shuttle operations around the city. The D40LF's are from 1996 and came from Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in Florida, while the heritage of the 35-foot buses is still unclear. The D40LF's are primarily used on the Longwood Medical Area shuttle operation, and both 35-foot and 40-foot NF's have been spotted in use at Logan Airport as well. I'll post a few photos of the LMA buses in the near future.

These are not the only New Flyer low-floor buses in use by a Boston private operator - Crystal Transport has a small fleet of D40LF's (including hybrids) and a few D60LF artics in service on its UMass-JFK Library shuttle service and also has a few second-hand D30LF's it purchased from Hazleton PA. When you factor in the 327 NFI low-floors now in operation on the MBTA system, the Boston area has quickly become a New Flyer hotbed.

MBTA67885 · Age: 44 Joined: 12 Aug 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Boston, Ma.

The Paul Revere New Flyers that are at Logan Airport are not the same ones that came from Florida. There are three and they came from First Student in St. Louis. I had to train all the Boston drivers when the flyers came in. They were not used to a wider or longer bus. The bus itself is great.[/img]

RailBus63 · Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063

Thanks for the info. Do you have the serial numbers for the buses at Logan?

MBTA67885 · Age: 44 Joined: 12 Aug 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Boston, Ma.

I have them in the fleet inventory report. I will get them for you.

timecruncher · Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:24 am Post subject:

Interesting. Free Enterprise System, local charter and contract operator extraordinaire in the Louisville area, has a D35LF painted all white sitting outside of their facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana. I saw what looked like a D40LF out at the UPS Worldport near Louisville International Airport a few weeks ago and wondered about it. I have no idea what their plans are for the bus. TARC does not operate any New Flyer equipment -- NFI bid here, but was not considered because their bid was non-responsive. In other words, they didn't respond to all of the requirements of the RFP and balked at the performance bond. Their loss. We ended up with Gilligs!

Anyway, Free Enterprise runs shuttle service on, in and around the UPS Hub. As Kentucky's largest employer, there are massive parking lots surrounding the facility (TARC runs lots of service to it as well on two local and two special routes). Their facility is an amazing place: well-manicured grounds, an office and service building that looks like a country club, and immaculately-maintained equipment.

timecruncher

RailBus63 · Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063

Caught this photo of Paul Revere D40LF #533 at Logan Airport on December 29th -this unit is ex-Keeshin Transportation 725:

Dieseljim · Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:56 am Post subject: UPS World Port

Does anyone know if UPS still flies DC8 equipment into that facility? These would be stretch 8s with CFM engines, some of them picked up from United, Easter,and Delta when those airlines disposed of their DC8 fleets.

timecruncher · Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 11:11 am Post subject:

The DC-8s are all gone, so it seems. The 727s are gone as well, and were highly visible because they had all been re-engined with larger engines than they had been originally set up with.

A handful of the 727s were set up where modular seating could be added for commercial charter flights, an idea that never caught on and was never expanded. Even at UPS, they realize that cargo is a lot easier to deal with than live people!

They're flying lots and lots of Airbus A320 and B767 freighters (bought new), along with a handful of second-hand 747-200s and MD-11s. The latter, I'm sure, they wish they hadn't ever picked up. The MD-11 is (along with the Lockheed L1011) the flying equivalent of an AM-General!

timecruncher