NJ Transit is spending $142 million to buy the last bus replacement that preceded the iPhone

a Huge bus purchase started seven years ago To replace all of the old NJ Transits buses in their final chapter, allowing buses that were built before Apple produced its first iPhone to be discontinued.

The NJ Transit board of directors took the final step in the regular replacement of nearly 1,400 buses Wednesday when it approved a $142.99 million connection with Motor Coach Industries to build the last 172 cruiser buses, which will replace the smaller 20-year-old buses on that date. Back in the early 2000s. The price also includes spare parts.

This purchase brings the total new fleet to 1,394 buses since the replacement program began in July 2015 when the agency approved a $394 million connection with MCI for 772 cruiser buses, which were the first passenger buses equipped with three-point seat belts. Those buses are merged New safety standards for buses That travels fast on highways, passed by Congress in July 2012.

Three speakers at the board meeting criticized the choice to buy more cruiser buses, which are similar to “Greyhound” buses and charter buses, because they have one door and take longer to load and unload. Others wondered if they were the right bus when the agency had a mandate to switch to zero-emissions buses.

“We know the governor has set a goal for clean, renewable energy for the state, but while there is a reference (in the agenda item) to ‘meet the latest emissions standards,’ there is no indication of where the fuel, diesel or electricity is coming from,” said Sally Jane Gilbert, president of Lackawanna Commuter Coalition.

Michael Kilquin, vice president of bus operations for New Jersey Transit, said the new buses will be powered by “clean diesel” engines that meet Federal Tier 4 emissions standards and include systems to filter particulates from the exhaust. He said the older buses they are replacing meet Tier 1 standards and do not require particulate pollution treatment.

This latest bus replacement will mean more reliable passenger service as new buses reduce the average lifespan of the bus fleet, meaning vehicles will travel more miles between breakdowns. The purchase reduces the average fleet life from nine years in 2020 to four years when 172 buses are delivered in 2024. The useful life of tour buses is 14 years.

In February 2016, the Board of Directors of NJ Transit Contract approved with MCI for 322 additional cruiser buses for $166.5 million. This was followed by an April 14, 2021, $63 million contract with MCI for the purchase of 118 new cruiser buses.

A total of 1,394 buses replaced the 40-foot-long buses built between 2000 and 2008 and an estimated half a million miles operated.

This cruiser bus purchase is the latest of NJ Transit’s 2014 fleet plan, which requires the systematic replacement of 1,394 older 40-foot buses built between 2000 and 2008, according to NJ Transit documents. The new 45-foot buses can seat 57 people, six percent more than the buses they replaced.

The tour bus purchase, which was due to expire in 2020, hit a leap of speed in July 2016 when the state’s Transportation Trust ran out of cash to do anything but pay off debt. An executive order issued by then-Governor Chris Christie Highway closures and transit projects funded by the Trustso it can be re-authorized by increasing the state gas tax.

1219 new cruiser bus Represents the largest project to be stopped under Christie’s executive order. Bus production Resumed on October 24 after, after Christie signed a bill raising the state gas tax at 23 cents a gallon and save money for transportation projects and procurement.

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Larry Higgs can be reached at [email protected].