News Releases

Archived

VTA Acquiring 70 New Hybrid Buses

Release Number:	nr08-04
Release Date:	Aug 07, 2009

     $42.4 Million Purchase Benefits Riders, Local Economy  

 

San Jose, Calif. – Last night, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to authorize the purchase of 70 environmentally friendly hybrid buses using $42.4 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funding. 

VTA is using stimulus funding for what it was designed to do: Stimulate the local economy. VTA conducted a rigorous five-month procurement process and selected Gillig LLC to provide the buses. Gillig LLC is a transit bus manufacturing company with 700 employees based in Hayward California and was chosen based on competitive pricing and responsiveness to technical requirements.

“One very important goal VTA had for any new bus purchases was that they had to offer an enhanced level of service to our riders,” said Dolly Sandoval, VTA Board Chair and Cupertino City Council Member. “I appreciated the input from our Committee for Transit Accessibility and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee who provided invaluable feedback during the procurement process.”

With last night’s decision to proceed with the bus purchases, VTA has met all federal guidelines to secure ARRA funding and is spending the stimulus funds  in the local economy before the November 2009 deadline.

"This partnership between VTA and Gillig provides continued employment in Northern California at a time when our state is reeling from job losses,” said Dennis Howard, President, Gillig LLC. Thirty-five jobs are directly created and sustained with this bus purchase contract and will support approximately 230 suppliers, vendors, and other indirect support jobs.
 
The purchase of 70 low-floor, 40-foot diesel hybrid buses will help VTA comply with new, more stringent state and federal emissions requirements. These buses are chosen for optimized accessibility and the most advanced environmentally friendly technology available on the market. They are also mechanically reliable and fully meet other federal purchase requirements. These buses will replace older high-floor buses purchased 11 and 12 years ago.

New clean air buses offer enhanced environmental, accessibility, and ridership benefits. Environmental benefits include hybrid diesel-electric technology, similar to hybrid automobiles; increased reliability and cost effectiveness compared to zero-emission buses; and a reduction of Nitrogen Oxide emissions by 95% and Particulate Matter emissions 80% compared to the old buses. The accessibility benefits include meeting all ADA accessibility requirements and include newer securement systems for mobility devices. Ridership benefits include additional bicycle capacity and a quieter ride.  

 “The federal stimulus funding is benefiting the Bay Area several ways,” said VTA General Manager Michael T. Burns. “First, Santa Clara County residents reap the environmental benefits from these buses. Secondly, the local economy benefits because VTA will be purchasing these buses from a bus manufacturer located in Hayward.”

VTA has committed to purchasing environmentally friendly vehicles. Currently there are 76 paratransit vehicles and 17 non-revenue vehicles.

As the Congestion Management Agency for Santa Clara County, VTA helped secured over $100 million in ARRA stimulus funding for cities and the county. This funding includes purchase of hybrid buses, road rehabilitation projects, and congestion management solutions.

 Go To Top

About VTA

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special
district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options that are innovative, environmentally responsible, and promote the vitality
of our region.  VTA is responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; countywide transportation planning and provides these services throughout the county including the cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale.  VTA continually builds partnerships to deliver transportation solutions that meet the evolving mobility needs of Santa Clara County

###