Pace Electric Buses

[Busjack]

On 3/16/2022 at 2:27 PM, Busjack said:

The board discussion on electric buses indicated that the electric buses are expected in the first or second quarter of 2023...

From the Sept 2025 Board meeting: Metzger said PhoenixEV said 4 buses are or are going on the line [not mentioned, out of 22]. On a more positive note, work at North is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year, with pantograph charging poles in place.

Also, provision for electrification of SW division in next year's capital plan and an electric (and a diesel) bus going to Elk Grove Village for fire department training were mentioned.

[jtrussel]

Looks like the one of the 2025 electric gillig is on pace property

[artthouwill]

16 minutes ago, jtrussel said:

Looks like the one of the 2025 electric gillig is on pace property

Which property? 

[Busjack]

42 minutes ago, jtrussel said:

Looks like the one of the 2025 electric gillig is on pace property

And are you confusing the hybrid for the BEB? You need to provide more detail.

The Gillig BEB wasn't scheduled until into 2026

 

[Busjack]

13 hours ago, jtrussel said:

Looks like the one of the 2025 electric gillig is on pace property

 

12 hours ago, Busjack said:

And are you confusing the hybrid for the BEB? You need to provide more detail.

The Gillig BEB wasn't scheduled until into 2026

 

Or do you mean the two demonstrators at SW? In the case of 20700, you're about 2 years late; in the other case, about 6 months off.

[jtrussel]

5 hours ago, Busjack said:

 

Or do you mean the two demonstrators at SW? In the case of 20700, you're about 2 years late; in the other case, about 6 months off.

Apologies had to watch the board meeting again it is a hybrid gillig

[jtrussel]

19 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Which property? 

Apologies jump the gun it's a hybrid gillig that arrived at pace

[busfan2847]

On 11/4/2025 at 9:08 AM, Busjack said:

 

Or do you mean the two demonstrators at SW? In the case of 20700, you're about 2 years late; in the other case, about 6 months off.

Does anyone know what the fleet number is for the second one?

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, jtrussel said:

So let's say North electric busses are successful there is surplus busses (at least half of North diesel fleet)that can go to west from north. North has about  52-53 6700s that given the routes they operate on definitely have way less miles then west 6300s as far as the highway Eldorados is there a plan to replace the now and with what I dont know 

 

 

The problemses are: with this theiry, with respect to electric buses are (1) the current construction at N is for 6 oe 12 electric buses, (2) the present plan is to test the electric buses in various areas, as, for instance 20700 is at SW and the other demonstrator is being used for training, and SW and R are on the priority list for electrification, and (3) nobody knows when or if the PhoenixEVs will be delivered.

I agree that the 6730s will eventually go somewhere else, but when or where is anyone's guess.

[jtrussel]

4 hours ago, Busjack said:

The problemses are: with this theiry, with respect to electric buses are (1) the current construction at N is for 6 oe 12 electric buses, (2) the present plan is to test the electric buses in various areas, as, for instance 20700 is at SW and the other demonstrator is being used for training, and SW and R are on the priority list for electrification, and (3) nobody knows when or if the PhoenixEVs will be delivered.

I agree that the 6730s will eventually go somewhere else, but when or where is anyone's guess.

I was under the impression that North was getting some of the gillig BEBs. I'm surprised pace is still on board with proterra/ Phoenix ev it's going to be 2040 by the time pace gets a full fleet of those LOL they should just give up on Phoenix and go gillig or new flyer For electrics

[artthouwill]

11 hours ago, jtrussel said:

I was under the impression that North was getting some of the gillig BEBs. I'm surprised pace is still on board with proterra/ Phoenix ev it's going to be 2040 by the time pace gets a full fleet of those LOL they should just give up on Phoenix and go gillig or new flyer For electrics

I get that but Proterra win the contract before selling to Phoenix and no one was sure what they would do.   Ultimately they promised to deliver the buses.  Supposedly they are being built and are supposed to start arriving in mod to late 2026.  Pace has elected to wait for these buses.   

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I get that but Proterra win the contract before selling to Phoenix and no one was sure what they would do.   Ultimately they promised to deliver the buses.  Supposedly they are being built and are supposed to start arriving in mod to late 2026.  Pace has elected to wait for these buses. 

I think you are confusing the 27 Gillig BEBs (JULY 2025 AGENDA) with the PhoenixEV ones. The Gilligs are to be delivered on approximately that schedule, after the 80 hybrids. At the Oct. 2025 meeting, Metzker said 4 PhoenixEVs were on the line, but it was noted here (at leasr) that the PhoenuxEVs were expected in June or Dec. 2024, and they are still not in sight.

I agree that Pace is waiting it out, but I would have declared a default by now.

[WCR]

22700 pictured at north, from pace social media

[rotjohns]

On 12/24/2025 at 2:17 AM, WCR said:

22700 pictured at north, from pace social media

So is this bus a prototype?  Or will all of Pace North have 22700s?  

I know I'm late, but I also read on the City of Waukegan's FB page that when fully built, Pace North will be fully electric by 2027.  This would lead me to believe that the 6700s will be moved at some point in 2026.  

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, rotjohns said:

So is this bus a prototype?  Or will all of Pace North have 22700s?  

I know I'm late, but I also read on the City of Waukegan's FB page that when fully built, Pace North will be fully electric by 2027.  This would lead me to believe that the 6700s will be moved at some point in 2026.  

Looks like the second prototype, rewrapped. Metzger said something about sending 1 of the 2 buses to N for training. That was obviously the unveiling of the charger.

If it were a new bus, it would be 25700 or 26700

 It sure isn't a {hoenixEV, and this answers the question about the fleet number.

[Busjack]

At the Jan. 2026 Board meeting, Metzger said something about the electric buses we ordered in 2021 starting to be delivered in the first quarter. PhoenixEV finally producing????

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, jtrussel said:

I'm in north territory and haven't seen no BEBs yet. I have a buddy who is a operator out of north, i will have to ask him if they got there electric busses yet. When they do roll out I see north hanging on to some 6730s for a little while just into the bugs are worked out of the electrics. You got to expect breakdowns and they got to keep service going

Since these aren't hybrid buses...

Metzger said you have demonstrator 22700.

On the others, I assume N won't get Gillig BEBs until the 116 hybrids are delivered,and noone knows when and if the PhoenixEVs will be.

[Busjack]

 

1 hour ago, Sam92 said:

Isn't Waukegan part of North Territory? Cause I don't see any out here, not even busy stuff like 568

• Waukegan is in North Division. North garage is in Waukegan.
• As stated above, all that has been represented to be at North is demonstrator 22700. At most that's there for training.

[Busjack]

6 hours ago, wayfaringrob said:

A request for proposals (RFP) for "Manufacture and Delivery of a Base Order of Thirty (30) Clean Battery-Electric Transit Buses with Six (6) Options to Purchase up to Two Hundred Twenty (220) Additional Buses and Associated Spare Parts" (C26FI103254072) was posted on March 30, 2026. https://transitchicago.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/229059 

It appears to be a joint procurement with Pace. Pace's bid number is 424199. https://www.pacebus.com/bid/424199

Note that this is unrelated to the hybrid buses which will eventually be procured with recently announced funding from the federal low/no grant, discussed in this thread. Per this Sun-Times article, the 30 electric buses being sought in this procurement will be purchased with funds from the Illinois EPA. Interestingly, when that funding was announced in February 2025 (in this article), it mentioned that there would be 30 electric buses for CTA and 27 for Pace. Perhaps the 27 for Pace are considered the first option in the RFP.

 

On 2/7/2025 at 5:38 PM, Busjack said:

Seen elsewhere, but in the Sun-Times:Illinois EPA grant for $58 million to Pace and RTA for 27 Pace electric buses and 30 CTA electric buses, apparently in addition to those already on order.

Update: Tribune article with more comment from Pace.

 

On 7/16/2025 at 2:22 PM, Busjack said:

 

The meeting was.

...

• The 27 Gilligs are off the Washington state contract, and should be deliverable in 8 months. Around the first half of 2026, the charging pad at North should be ready, and 12 buses should go there, with the rest being tested in other divisions.
• The funds for this purchase are from the Illinois EPA from the Volkswagen settlement.
• The ordinance for the  RFP was apparently needed because of a change in Pace regulations requiring Board authorization. The intent is to have a joint procurement with CTA, but in a multijurisdictional contract similar to the Washington one, where other agencies could buy buses off of it if {whoever runs] Pace and CTA doesn't have the funding to buy the full amount under the resulting 5-year contract. This provides more assurance to the manufacturer, and a more standard bus, although some customization is allowed (the remark being made that Pace has some things that CTA doesn't).
• In connection with the above, there was a discussion on the APTA work on trying to preserve bus manufacturers, and Pace input into the state law about no diesel bus orders after 2026, noting that Pace insisted on exceptions for matters out of its control, including lack of availability of zero-emissions buses or Comm Ed infrastructure. 

The above posts put the threads together. The main thing is that Pace hadused the Illinois EPA grant to buy the Gillig BEBs now on order. This is the multijurisdictional contract joint procurement with CTA mentioned at the Pace board meeting. The base is for CTA, but I guess whatever agency can take the 220 options.

The Pace spec only says that the contract documents are at the CTA Bonfire portal.

[wayfaringrob]

12 hours ago, Busjack said:

 

 

The above posts put the threads together. The main thing is that Pace hadused the Illinois EPA grant to buy the Gillig BEBs now on order. This is the multijurisdictional contract joint procurement with CTA mentioned at the Pace board meeting. The base is for CTA, but I guess whatever agency can take the 220 options.

The Pace spec only says that the contract documents are at the CTA Bonfire portal.

Ah, I see. Thanks for that.

[Busjack]

Some scattered things at the May 2026 meeting:

• The Chairman noted that Pace has been waiting for 4 years on its [Proterra] order, and the problem in the industry is not only that the manufacturers have gone bankrupt and bought by others, but that their suppliers also have gone out of business.
• In connection with the North Division project, they noted the greater scale of the project, including more storage space to handle 60 buses, interior pantograph and plug-in chargers, and a 2-floor office building. There were renderings of the proposed changes, but I assume that the image with  Proterra buses at the charger and door is a rendering.
• 
• Although, if Pace ever gets the 50 BEBs on order, that should be enough for North, they said the plan was still to put small chargers at other garages.

[jtrussel]

Gillig BEB at the gillig factory ready for delivery 

[Busjack]

6 hours ago, jtrussel said:

Gillig BEB at the gillig factory ready for delivery 

Thanks.

• At least there is evidence that Gillig can deliver a BEB. PhoenixEV apparently can't.
• I thought I could figure out Pace's numbering system, but I guess not. The 25500s were confusing enough with 35' and 40' buses both in the 25500s, and, it turns out the 35' ones in the middle. Now, 26533 is pictured. First, I figured it would be something like 26700, since the demonstrators were 20700 and 22700. As recorded above, this contract was for 27 Gillig BEBs, so 26533 is too high unless hybrids are also in this series or there are placeholders for the 22 PhoenixEVs.

[Busjack]

22 hours ago, ycu2455 said:

Today’s SF MUNI Instagram account shows a test vehicle in Pace livery. The number is 26506.

 

On 6/23/2026 at 11:45 AM, Busjack said:

• ,
• I thought I could figure out Pace's numbering system, but I guess not. The 25500s were confusing enough with 35' and 40' buses both in the 25500s, and, it turns out the 35' ones in the middle. Now, 26533 is pictured. First, I figured it would be something like 26700, since the demonstrators were 20700 and 22700. As recorded above, this contract was for 27 Gillig BEBs, so 26533 is too high unless hybrids are also in this series or there are placeholders for the 22 PhoenixEVs.

Based on the top quote, apparently the answer is that the hybrids and battery buses are in the same series,  which answers that,  although I still don't think the numbers jive. 

BTW,  the picture was much clearer on my phone than my laptop,  but again that's my problem 😅. 

[Busjack]

9 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

While SFMTA hadn’t had a Gillig in the fleet since the 2800’s (a decade), perhaps this test could help with their (several?) BEB RFP opportunities.

 

On 4/7/2026 at 1:22 AM, Busjack said:

 

 

The above posts put the threads together. The main thing is that Pace hadused the Illinois EPA grant to buy the Gillig BEBs now on order. This is the multijurisdictional contract joint procurement with CTA mentioned at the Pace board meeting. The base is for CTA, but I guess whatever agency can take the 220 options.

The Pace spec only says that the contract documents are at the CTA Bonfire portal.

As inducated above, the CTA solicitation is on behalf of both CTA and Pace. See tge RFP, which has Pace Exhibits. Also see above in this topic where there is a picture of a Pace VRV ynder the VW settlement, picked off the Washington state contract. So, Pace is getting those plus whatever CTA procures.