MTA Regional Bus Operations bus fleet

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy datesThe MTA Regional Bus Operations bus fleet is a fleet of buses in fixed-route service in New York City under the "MTA New York City Bus" (also known as New York City Transit or NYCT) and "MTA Bus" brands, both of which operate local, limited, express, and Select Bus Service routes.

Description and history

The fleet consists of over 5,800 buses of various types and models for fixed-route service, making MTA RBO's fleet the largest public bus fleet in the United States.[1] The MTA also has over 2,000 vans and cabs for ADA paratransit service, providing service in New York City, southwestern Nassau County, and the city of Yonkers. All vehicles, with the exception of paratransit cabs, are fully accessible to persons with disabilities.[2][3] Fixed-route buses are dispatched from 27 garages (19 New York City Bus and 8 MTA Bus) and one annex in New York City.

Several fleet improvements have been introduced over the system's history. The first large order of air conditioned buses began service in 1966.[4] "Kneeling buses" were introduced in 1976, and wheelchair lifts began appearing in 1980.[5][4][6] Also in the 1980s, stop-request cords (or "bell cords") were replaced by yellow tape strips. However, buses ordered after 2008 feature cords rather than tape strips due to the latter's higher maintenance cost.[7] Articulated buses were introduced in 1996, and have since become prominent in the Bronx and Manhattan.[8][5] Low-floor buses, designed to speed boarding and alighting and improve riding conditions for elderly and disabled passengers, were first tested in 1997[9][10] and have made up most of the new non-express buses ordered since the early 2000s. The last non-express high-floor bus was withdrawn in 2019.[11]

Most post-2000 orders also feature stop-request buttons located on grab bars.[12] Beginning in 2016, new orders have been built/retrofitted with Wi-Fi connectivity and USB charging ports. In 2023, Wi-fi connectivity was removed on all buses due to low usage from passengers.[13]

Starting in 2016, efforts to bring an audio/visual system to the current and future fleet went underway to improve customer service and ADA accessibility thru use of next stop announcements & PSAs. Though the former Long Island Bus Division (now NICE Bus) had already deployed such a system throughout its fleet since the early-2000s, the MTA had only trialed similar systems alongside GPS tracking between 2007 and 2012 on select routes in the New York City Bus system. Current plans include the installation of digital information screens installed throughout the interior of the bus which will provide real-time information such as time, weather, advertisements, & service advisories.[14] The screens are supplied by contract from 3 different vendors and are installed on new bus deliveries starting in 2017 while buses built after 2008 are currently receiving retrofits. A new livery was also introduced, replacing the blue stripe livery on a white base that had been in use in one variation or another since the late 1970s. The first of these buses entered service in mid-May 2016 on the Q10 route.[15]

Buses operating on clean or alternative fuels also make up a significant portion of the fleet, particularly since the establishment of the MTA's "Clean Fuel Bus" program in June 2000.[4] Buses running compressed natural gas (CNG) were first tested in the early 1990s,[16][17] and were mass-ordered beginning in 1995.[4][16] Hybrid-electric buses, operating with a combination of diesel and electric power, were introduced in September 1998 with the Orion VI,[4][18][19] and mass-ordered beginning in 2003 with the Orion VII.[5][18] These hybrid buses proved to be useful, at least the 2006-2007 models, for these models cost significantly less to repair and maintain than earlier units.[20] As of December 2022, the fleet has over 1,100 diesel-electric buses and over 700 buses powered by compressed natural gas, which make up less than half of the total fleet.[1][21][22] This is the largest fleet of either kind in the United States.[22][23]

Zero-emission buses

In 2017, the MTA tested a fleet of ten forty-foot battery electric buses – five from New Flyer and five from Proterra, the XE40 Xcelsior CHARGE and Catalyst BE40 models respectively. These were all leases, which expired in 2021.[24] In 2019, the MTA ordered their first battery-electric sixty-foot articulated buses, with an order of fifteen XE60 Xcelsior CHARGE buses from New Flyer, deployed on Manhattan Select Bus Service routes. In April 2021, the agency placed an RFP for forty-five new forty-foot battery-electric buses.[24] Later in 2021, the MTA awarded New Flyer the contract for the electric bus order, set to arrive in late 2022 and 2023. 15 more buses were added to the originally 45 bus contract, making for a total of 60 buses allotted for MTA NYCT.[24]

In 2022, the MTA announced that they would trial hydrogen fuel cell buses, funded by a grant from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.[25] The first two buses (New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE H2) will be launched in The Bronx by late 2025.[26]

The MTA announced that it would only purchase zero-emission buses from 2029, and that the entire bus fleet will be zero-emission by 2040.[27][24]

Fixed-route fleet details

A roster of the fleet is shown below. Not included below are buses and vans not open to the general public (Access-A-Ride vans, taxicabs, and employee shuttle buses), retired buses, or demonstration buses. This list also does not include buses formerly operated by MTA Long Island Bus (now Nassau Inter-County Express) that are now operated under contract to Nassau County by Transdev.

Local, limited, & Select Bus Service vehicles

All buses listed below have semi-low floors.[28]

Image Type Model year Length Numbers
(total)
Number active Energy source Operator
File:4662 M31.jpg Orion Bus Industries
Orion VII 07.501 HEV
Next Generation
2009-2010 Template:Convert 4330–4702
(373 buses)
87
retiring
Diesel-electric hybrid NYCT
BX6 1204 Nova Bus
LFS-A TL62102A
3rd Generation
Articulated
Template:Convert 1200–1289
(90 buses)
77
retiring
Diesel
8053 on the Q30 Nova Bus
LFS TL40102A
3rd Generation
2011 Template:Convert 8000–8089
(90 buses)
89
7073 S76 Orion Bus Industries
Orion VII 07.501
EPA10

3rd Generation
7000–7089
(90 buses)
88
4851 on the B82 New Flyer
XD40 Xcelsior
2011-2012 4810–4899
(90 buses)
88
462 on the B68 New Flyer
C40LF Low Floor
2011-2013 185–672
(488 buses)
486 CNG MTA Bus & NYCT
Bx19 5956 Nova Bus
LFS-A TL62102A
1st Generation
Articulated
Template:Convert 5252–5298
5300–5363
5770–5986
(328 buses)
326 Diesel NYCT
4713 on the B38 New Flyer
XD60 Xcelsior
Articulated
2012-2013 Template:Convert 4710–4799
(90 buses)
89
7434 Q32 New Flyer
XD40 Xcelsior
2014-2015 Template:Convert 7090–7483
(394 buses)
390 MTA Bus & NYCT
File:Bedford Pk Blvd West 22.jpg Nova Bus
LFS TL40102A
4th Generation
2015-2016 8090–8503
(414 buses)
409 NYCT
File:MTA Parsons Jamaica 36a.jpg New Flyer
XD60 Xcelsior
Articulated
Template:Convert 5364–5438
(75 buses)
74 MTA Bus
796 on the B68 New Flyer
XN40 Xcelsior
2016-2017 Template:Convert 673–810
(138 buses)
135 CNG NYCT
M14 6105 New Flyer
XD60 Xcelsior
Articulated
Template:Convert 5987–6125
(139 buses)
138 Diesel MTA Bus & NYCT
File:MTA Main St Northern Bl 55.jpg
An SBS bus on the M14D Nova Bus
LFS-A TL62102A
4th Generation
Articulated
2016-2019 Template:Convert 5439–5602
(164 buses)
162 NYCT
5571 out of service
1102 on the B35 New Flyer
XN60 Xcelsior
Articulated
2017-2018 Template:Convert 1000–1109
(110 buses)
108 CNG
File:161st St River Av td (2019-01-24) 92.jpg
File:7552 Bx28.jpg New Flyer
XD40 Xcelsior
2017-2019 Template:Convert 7484–7850
(367 buses)
364 Diesel
File:XD407663.jpg
9501 B54 New Flyer
XDE40 Xcelsior
2018 9500–9509
(10 buses)
10 Diesel-electric hybrid
Q46 8529 Nova Bus
LFS TL40102A
4th Generation
2018-2019 8504–8754
(251 buses)
248 Diesel
4958 on the M79 SBS New Flyer
XE60 Xcelsior CHARGE
Articulated
2019 Template:Convert 4950–4964
(15 buses)
[29]
15 Battery electric
6191 on the M14A SBS New Flyer
XD60 Xcelsior
Articulated
2019-2020 6126–6286
(161 buses)
161 Diesel MTA Bus & NYCT
6271 on the Q53 SBS
6281 on the Q70 SBS
9902 on the M5 Nova Bus
LFS HEV TL40102A
4th Generation
2020-2021 Template:Convert 9620–9910
(291 buses)
291 Diesel-electric hybrid NYCT
File:MTA NYCT; 2022 Nova Bus LFS SmartBus 8856 on the Q46.jpg Nova Bus
LFS TL40102A
4th Generation
2020-2022 8755–8963
(209 buses)
209 Diesel
File:(USA-New York) Metropolitan Transportation Authority 9573 NY-MTA-BE3492 M7 2024-06-17.jpg New Flyer
XDE40 Xcelsior
2021-2022 9416–9499
9510–9619
(194 buses)
194 Diesel-electric hybrid
7912 on the Q24 New Flyer
XD40 Xcelsior
7851–7989
(139 buses)
138 Diesel
8965 Q111 Nova Bus
LFS TL40102A
4th Generation
2022-2024 8964–9271
(308 buses)
308 MTA Bus
File:9355 Bx23.jpg New Flyer
XD40 Xcelsior
2023-2024 9272–9387
(116 buses)
116
File:4965 M22.jpg New Flyer
XE40 Xcelsior CHARGE
Next Generation
2023-2025 4965–5024
5030–5216
(247 buses)
61
under delivery
Battery electric MTA Bus & NYCT
File:LFSE+ on the S56.webp Nova Bus
LFSe+
2024 5025–5029
(5 buses)
5 NYCT
File:XE60 2025 at Zerega Training and DOB Depot.webp New Flyer
XE60 Xcelsior CHARGE
Articulated
2025 5603–5620
(18 buses)
0
under delivery
File:2025 XD60 6289.jpg New Flyer
XD60 Xcelsior
Articulated
2025-2027 Template:Convert 6287–6531
(245 buses)
1
under delivery
Diesel

Express bus fleet

All express buses are diesel-powered, Template:Convert long commuter coaches. All buses are high-floored.[30]

Image Type Model year Numbers
(total)
Numbers active Operator
File:Cross Bay Bl 133rd Av td 01.jpg Motor Coach Industries
D4500CL
2004-2007 3000–3474
4300–4329
(505 buses)
229
retiring
MTA Bus
File:N Conduit Av 88th St td 09.jpg Motor Coach Industries
D4500CT
2008-2009 2195–2250
(56 buses)
41 MTA Bus & NYCT
File:State St Battery Pl td (2018-08-23) 16.jpg Prevost
X3-45 Commuter
1st Generation
2011-2012 2400–2489
(90 buses)
89 NYCT
File:Kew Gdns Union Tpke td (2018-06-20) 28.jpg Motor Coach Industries
D4500CT
2012-2013 2251–2304
(54 buses)
53
2730 on the SIM4C Prevost
X3-45 Commuter
1st Generation
2014-2016 2490–2789
(300 buses)
299
File:Main St Union Tpke td (2021-03-01) 35.jpg Prevost
X3-45 Commuter
2nd Generation
2021-2022 1300–1629
(330 buses)
330 MTA Bus & NYCT
File:Prevost 1630.jpg 2024-2026 1630–2010
(381 buses)
2
under delivery

Future bus fleet

These are bus orders that will occurTemplate:Clarify a few years into the future.

Image Type Model year Length Numbers
(total)
Energy source Operator
New Flyer
XHE40 Xcelsior CHARGE H2
2025 Template:Convert TBA
(2 buses)
Hydrogen fuel cell NYCT
Motor Coach Industries
D45 CRT LE CHARGE
2025-2026 Template:Convert TBA
(5 buses)
Battery electric
New Flyer
XE60 Xcelsior CHARGE
Articulated
2026+ Template:Convert TBA
(272 buses)
New Flyer
XD60 Xcelsior
Articulated
6532–6956
(425 buses)
Diesel
Motor Coach Industries
D45 CRT
Template:Convert TBA
(92 buses)
New Flyer
XE40 Xcelsior CHARGE
Next Generation
Template:Convert TBA
(943 buses)
Battery electric MTA Bus & NYCT

References

Template:Reflist Template:Notelist

External links

Template:MTA Regional Bus (New York) Template:MTA (New York)

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