New MCTS 5400 series buses

[Archon]

From What I have been told They are getting the new 5400 buses from New Flyer they will be the Excelsior Style just like the 5100-5300's Just different Destination sign Hanover and Recaro Drivers seats. and New york style Driver shields

[See Tea Eh]

The 5100s-5300s are not Xcelsior style buses, they are D40LFR buses (Xcelsiors are XD40s).

[flossman]

The 5100s-5300s are not Xcelsior style buses, they are D40LFR buses (Xcelsiors are XD40s).

Ssh, don't ruin my hope that we ARE getting Xcelsiors.

[Archon]

Ssh, don't ruin my hope that we ARE getting Xcelsiors.

I talked to the Foreman in the garage last night and we are getting the Xcesiors How many KK is getting is unknown

[flossman]

I talked to the Foreman in the garage last night and we are getting the Xcesiors How many KK is getting is unknown

You're kidding me. Mark me as a New Flyer fanboy, but I never thought I'd be riding an MCTS Xcelsior.

Hopefully KK gets some, considering you guys have 5100s, 4600s, and 4900s?

[busfan2]

You're kidding me. Mark me as a New Flyer fanboy, but I never thought I'd be riding an MCTS Xcelsior.

Hopefully KK gets some, considering you guys have 5100s, 4600s, and 4900s?

SWEET! Any idea how many are being ordered?

[Busjack]

SWEET! Any idea how many are being ordered?

As they say in the commercials for People Like Us: All of them.

That answer usually applies to Pace.

[busfan2]

As they say in the commercials for People Like Us: All of them.

That answer usually applies to Pace.

LOL!! That gave me a chuckle. I have looked on Milwaukee County's website and have not seen bid awards for buses. I have seen other bids awarded for other county departments and even though the county contracts with Milwaukee Transport Services for operations the county does own the buildings and equipment. I have looked under the finance committe minutes and haven't seen anything. I would've thought that this would've been posted.

[busfan2]

Today I looked on the Milwaukee County Transit Syatem website and saw an RFP for in plant bus inspections.

http://ebid.mcts.org/MM_03_2013_bus_inspect.pdf

Milwaukee is getting 55 buses. The buses will start being built in Manitoba and final assembly in Minnesota. Production runs April 1, 2013 through August of 2013.

[flossman]

Today I looked on the Milwaukee County Transit Syatem website and saw an RFP for in plant bus inspections.

http://ebid.mcts.org/MM_03_2013_bus_inspect.pdf

Milwaukee is getting 55 buses. The buses will start being built in Manitoba and final assembly in Minnesota. Production runs April 1, 2013 through August of 2013.

They also have some public-aimed details in the new issue of BusLines. They talk about the upcoming smart card fareboxes (by the end of the year, so they say), how the new buses will have rear route number signs (friggin' finally!) and the automated passenger announcement systems that, again, will be installed by the end of the year. All of them are amazingly exciting things... I know the buses will be here by the middle of the year, and I really hope they can get the smart cards and annunciators by the end of the year instead of delaying them.

Edit: They also have a bid up for 326 (plus 10 spare) driver barriers... http://ebid.mcts.org/bid_2013_06_driver_barier.pdf

Double edit: Okay, I don't want to over-link, but New Flyer also issued a press release for MCTS ordering 55 XD40s with an option for 35 more: http://www.newflyer.com/index/2013_02_07_milwaukee_award

I think I'm way too much of a New Flyer fanboy. Someone stop me, please.

[busfan2]

@flossman- thanks for the link. I have wanted to see something like this for a while. The best part : Milwaukee is getting Xcelsiors!

[MetroShadow]

Edit: They also have a bid up for 326 (plus 10 spare) driver barriers... http://ebid.mcts.org/bid_2013_06_driver_barier.pdf

Double edit: Okay, I don't want to over-link, but New Flyer also issued a press release for MCTS ordering 55 XD40s with an option for 35 more: http://www.newflyer.com/index/2013_02_07_milwaukee_award

I think I'm way too much of a New Flyer fanboy. Someone stop me, please.

If anything, MCTS shows what is a good evolution of New Flyer Buses (or buses in general) over the last 15-20 years. I'm excited.

[busfan2]

I wonder if we will start to see more routes with destination signs that have the route name as part of the message when these new buses come. I remember reading in the RFP that they would supply a list of routes and destinations for sign programming. It is something that I thought of and it will ne interesting to see if this might happen.

[flossman]

They're finally putting up a bid for "Real-Time Passenger Information" systems!

http://ebid.mcts.org/MM_02_2013_realtime_passenger.pdf (Obviously a PDF)

If you read a bit more into it they say:

At a minimum, the RTPI shall provide MCTS with the capacity to provide real-

time vehicle location and next bus information via Mobile applications,
SMS(Text), Internet, Email, MCTS IVR, Google GTFS-realtime data feed, State of
Wisconsin 511 XML data feed, and MCTS information signs (future).

At least the ball is rolling.

[Busjack]

They're finally putting up a bid for "Real-Time Passenger Information" systems!

http://ebid.mcts.org/MM_02_2013_realtime_passenger.pdf (Obviously a PDF)

If you read a bit more into it they say:

At least the ball is rolling.

Am I correct in reading this that MCTS buses already have the gps system (OrbCAD?) and the only thing being requested here is the web/smartphone interface?

[flossman]

Am I correct in reading this that MCTS buses already have the gps system (OrbCAD?) and the only thing being requested here is the web/smartphone interface?

You're entirely right. I want to say it was about 5 years ago they switched from their old system to the current OrbCAD GPS unit/screens you can see on the driver's left.

[See Tea Eh]

MCTS has had GPS and CAD since the early 1990s. The first system they had was replaced a few years ago with the current system. The main driver behind replacing it was that the radio frequency used by the old system was needed for expanded cellular capacity.

[flossman]

Might not be the best topic to post this in, but they've been implementing the "stroller area" in buses older than the 5100s. I saw it on a 4700 and a 4800 on the 76 yesterday.

Honestly, I think it's a really good idea, but it rubs me the wrong way when someone sits there and doesn't allow someone with a stroller/cart to have that seat. I have a feeling, though, that they're the same people who won't move at the front for elderly or disabled riders.

[ctrabs74]

Today I looked on the Milwaukee County Transit Syatem website and saw an RFP for in plant bus inspections.

http://ebid.mcts.org/MM_03_2013_bus_inspect.pdf

Milwaukee is getting 55 buses. The buses will start being built in Manitoba and final assembly in Minnesota. Production runs April 1, 2013 through August of 2013.

1. Is there an ETA on delivery of the first of these buses?

2. Will the 5400s have the Allison transmission like the 5100-5200 series? (I'm not sure what the 5300s have for a powertrain; I recall the older 4600-5000 fleets had a Cummins/Voith powertrain; I just remember that from my trip out there two years ago.)

[Archon]

1. Is there an ETA on delivery of the first of these buses?

They are being made now

2. Will the 5400s have the Allison transmission like the 5100-5200 series? (I'm not sure what the 5300s have for a powertrain; I recall the older 4600-5000 fleets had a Cummins/Voith powertrain; I just remember that from my trip out there two years ago.)

They will be the same as the 5100.s thru 5300.s which is Cummins ISL and Allision Trasmission. They are done with Voith Amen to that I did not like the Voith ttansmission much very rought shifting

[flossman]

They are being made now

Hopefully that means they'll start delivering in a month or so. I don't know if New Flyer builds the entire order at once and then sends them or if they build, say, 25 or 30 and send them over on a schedule that would allow the full order to be delivered at the end of the delivery schedule.

[Busjack]

Hopefully that means they'll start delivering in a month or so. I don't know if New Flyer builds the entire order at once and then sends them or if they build, say, 25 or 30 and send them over on a schedule that would allow the full order to be delivered at the end of the delivery schedule.

They usually say so many a week, and their scheduling is based on 36 EUs a week.* See the latest quarterly report. So it depends how many EUs (equivalent to a 40 foot diesel bus; an artic counts double) the MCTS order is and when New Flyer scheduled it in relation to other orders.

_______

*This came up with respect to the nonexistent order for 900 CTA buses, which NF scheduled on a 50 EU basis and then had to find other work, at which point NF said it was budgeting based on 36. Obviously, though, a bus will be delivered as soon as it is assembled and inspected. One can look at the flow in the 4300s thread, for instance.

[busfan2]

Hopefully that means they'll start delivering in a month or so. I don't know if New Flyer builds the entire order at once and then sends them or if they build, say, 25 or 30 and send them over on a schedule that would allow the full order to be delivered at the end of the delivery schedule.

According to the link I had provided the projected delivery starts the week of May 27th. It looks like buses will arrive every week in a quantity of four or five until the entire order is delivered. I'm going to start looking for them at fleet maintainance that week. Can't wait.

[flossman]

According to the link I had provided the projected delivery starts the week of May 27th. It looks like buses will arrive every week in a quantity of four or five until the entire order is delivered. I'm going to start looking for them at fleet maintainance that week. Can't wait.

That just gives me an image of you staked out at Fleet Maintenance with binoculars, awaiting seeing an XD40 pull in. :p

[flossman]

Well, the beginning of June (not, as I apparently thought, July) is upon us, and the XD40s should be on the road soon (if not already)! I'll be keeping my eye out for them down Wisconsin Ave, since I generally run errands downtown, and I figure if you'll catch a new bus you'll catch it down Wisconsin.

My only question is if they're assigned to FDL (which I figure they would be) or KK.

Happy (bus) hunting!