BusTalk

[timecruncher]

Most Metros suffered from the more or less silly EPA rules that applies to two-cycle engines in order to make them "compliant."

The DD50s didn't all run bad, either. Louisville's are transverse-mounted, and that seems to bind the works a bit, while the same engine setup didn't seem to bother the 6V92TA-equipped versions (until installation of above-mentioned pollution kits). TARC got some of the last Metros built -- and only got 38 of 60 in the entire order. We had a dozen 35 x 102 units and 48 40 x 102 units on order.

We never got any of the shorties, which would have been useful around here on some of our secondary routes.

The ones we did get were missing parts, or had parts sitting on the floors that hadn't been installed! After 38, our shop declined to accept any more and I suspect the performance bond was forfeited by Flx on our order. It is my understanding that the last orders at Flx were actually assembled by Nova at the New Mexico facility that is now the home of Millenium.

All 38 of those 1994 units are still running, though, testament to your statement about them being durable. There are enough Metros sitting around in scrapyards and in boneyards at transit agencies that spare parts can be found here and there when needed.

Since our capital budget is pretty much decimated so that we can pay for fuel and benefits, we can't replace them as quickly as we would like to. The last eleven 1989 Metros were taken out of service this past Summer and now reside in the storage lot at our 29th Street facility, and the rest soldier on, doing what they have been doing for 14 years.

I'll post photos of some when I get some space on my son's server.

timecruncher

[ripta42]

[tovinman]

Many many times in this business things have happened that make you just stand there and wonder what the heck happened. I think this is about to happen again.

Case in point: NovaBus. Two years ago i put them on death watch; if anything they seemed poised to remain a small fish delivering only to Canada.

What happened? They now have an articulated, and a BRT design that is going to sell. They will build more artics in 2010 than the total number of buses they have built in each of the past five years.

Who loses in this deal? New Flyer, likely, since NYC's last artic order was high floor Flyer artics.

Orion, who really has to get with the program and build an Orion 7 artic

Gillig, who I think might be just around the corner on an artic (they already
have a BRT bus design that an artic would be well based off of)

and Millenium. If there ever was a time to get the Extreme into the market, it is now, and by the way, there once was an RTS artic. Get off your asses and
build an extreme version, otherwise Millenium is toast.

Beauty of the Millenium bus is the modular design - allows 30 foot, 35, 40, 45, and 60 foot buses with minimal retooling. Their biggest obstacle might be capital - get out there and solve that, and get your buses onto the street, or
risk death.

Besides, the whole thing started out as a lowfloor bus, the RTX. How cool would it be to actually see the RTX come to be? Sure, it's not exactly the
RTX, but who cares?

[timecruncher]

Gillig has steadfastly refused to do CNG/diesel buses or articulated buses. There are solid business reasons for this, and I don't see them changing their ways about it soon.

Believe me, they have heard from many, many transit systems that want to purchase a Gillig artic. There are lots of systems that simply would rather not own anything from New Flyer or Nova for any number of reasons.

Part of the problem is that the Gillig factory floorspace is set up for a maximum 40-foot (or 42-foot in the case of the BRT units) bus. They would have to make some major alterations to their operation to accomodate the larger vehicles.

timecruncher

[RTS_04]

[timecruncher]

Stability and financial support perhaps, but the drivetrain is strictly North American. Canadian and US properties stay away from foreign powerplants (other than Thomas and their Mercedes-based transit bus). Cummins and possibly Detroit Diesel again have the engines down, while Allison controls the transmission market. Voith and Economat have made some inroads here, but most systems that tried out their products have returned to Allison due to parts problems.

You must wonder what business model doesn't include a supply chain for parts and support to their products. It is almost as if they either never attended class while in business school or they were simply too lazy.

Parts and quality control was the reason Neoplan, MAN, Crown and Orion (prior to Diamler) lost most of their customer base in recent years.

timecruncher

[daimlerbuses]