Press Releases
New Flyer Advances Third-Year Installment of 100 Electric Hybrid Buses for SEPTA Five-Year Contract for 525 Total Vehicles
St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA – March 14, 2018: (TSX: NFI) New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”), the U.S. subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc. (“NFI Group”), the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, today announced it is advancing third year production of 100 Xcelsior® diesel-electric hybrid, forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (“SEPTA”). It is the third installment of a five-year contract for a total of 525 hybrid buses approved by SEPTA in May 2016.
The buses will be deployed in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs of Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester, supporting four million people living in and around southeastern Pennsylvania. The hybrid diesel-electric Xcelsior buses support SEPTA’s “SEPT-AINABLE 2020” program, focused on achieving sustainability through a “triple bottom line” approach that includes the natural environment, healthy communities and workforce, and economic vitality.
At the conclusion of the five-year contract, hybrids will comprise 95 percent of SEPTA’s bus fleet.
“SEPTA is proud to be an industry leader in providing cleaner, more fuel efficient travel by increasing the number of hybrid buses in its fleet,” SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel said. “We look forward to getting these new 100 Xcelsior diesel-electric hybrids into service for our customers.”
“We are proud to again deliver hybrid electric buses to SEPTA,” stated Wayne Joseph, President of New Flyer of America. “Through integrating more fuel efficient transportation and driving meaningful change through SEPT-AINABILE 2020, SEPTA has demonstrated industry leadership. New Flyer will continue supporting its goals of more sustainable and accessible public transportation, to foster better health and economic vitality in the surrounding communities.”
SEPTA is one of only two U.S. transit authorities operating all five major types of terrestrial transit vehicles: regional rail trains, heavy rapid transit trains, light rail vehicles, trolley buses, and motor buses. It has an annual ridership of over 300 million.
NFI Group has over 50 years of experience in manufacturing zero-emission buses (ZEBs) and employs more American workers than any other transit bus manufacturer in the U.S.
About NFI Group
NFI Group and its subsidiaries comprise the largest bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, with 32 fabrication, manufacturing, distribution, and service centers located across Canada and the United States and employing nearly 6,000 team members.
NFI Group provides a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under several brands: New Flyer® (heavy-duty transit buses), ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), MCI® (motor coaches), and NFI Parts™ (bus and coach parts, support, and service). NFI Group’s vehicles incorporate the widest range of drive systems available ranging from clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, trolley-electric, battery-electric, and fuel cell-electric.
- New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product line under the Xcelsior® and Xcelsior CHARGE™ brands. New Flyer actively supports over 44,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 7,300 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,600 are zero-emission.
- ARBOC is North America’s low-floor, body-on-chassis (“cutaway”) bus leader serving transit, paratransit, and shuttle applications. With more than 2,500 buses in service, ARBOC leads the low-floor cutaway bus market providing unsurpassed passenger accessibility and comfort over traditional high-floor cutaway vehicles. ARBOC also offers a medium-duty bus for transit and shuttle applications.
- Motor Coach Industries is North America’s motor coach leader offering the J-Series, the industry’s best-selling intercity coach for 11 consecutive years, and the D-Series, the industry’s best-selling motor coach line in North American history. MCI actively supports over 28,000 coaches currently in service.
- NFI Parts is North America’s most comprehensive parts organization, providing replacement parts, technical publications, training, service, and support for NFI Group’s bus and motor coach product lines.
Further information is available at www.www.newflyer.com, www.arbocsv.com, and www.mcicoach.com. The common shares of NFI Group are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of NFI Group that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services, customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses, the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential impact of these factors, the NFI Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
For further information, please contact:
Jon Koffman
Investor Relations
Ph: 320-316-4964