Pace Gillig Hybrid Buses

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, rotjohns said:

Heritage does seem like a surprise to me, but I know they still have some 2700s left so I'm sure the 35 foot Gilligs will replace them.  I happened to see one on the 834 the other day (can't recall the number) and you can see the rust spots.

 

Again, I don't think so. The original statement about the 22300s in RTAMS was that they were going to Elgin and Batavia.However, half went to H. I think the original plan will be implemented, and H gets the 24 35; buses.

R has too much junk (including 2600s transferred from NS) to get by with that.

57 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

O think th 35' buses will be split between H and NS with the 40' nuses going to NW

.

Nipe

. Or  nope.

[artthouwill]

34 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Again, I don't think so. The original statement about the 22300s in RTAMS was that they were going to Elgin and Batavia.However, half went to H. I think the original plan will be implemented, and H gets the 24 35; buses.

R has too much junk (including 2600s transferred from NS) to get by with that.

Nipe

. Or  nope.

I guess you are saying Metzger lied.  She specifically said that these hybrids were replacing buses that were about 12 years old.   Therefore, taking 12  Axxess buses from North Shore and 24 from NW cagey 36 of the oldest 6323s from West retired.  If Pace going to get Gillig BEBs, certainly those would be slated for R as that garage is going to go eetric.

While the 2600s are definitely old,the  majority don't run 7 days a week  ( nor have they historica) and the cancelation of the Metra feeder routes means they are not being ran into the ground.   

 

Again,  Metzger stated where these buses are going next month.

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I guess you are saying Metzger lied.  She specifically said that these hybrids were replacing buses that were about 12 years old.

No, I'm NOT saying Metzger was lying. They are replacing buses over 12 years old. The point is Pace RARELY replaces buses DIRECTLY. For instance, @maths22's tracker currently shows 2653, 2656, 2657, 2674, 2682, 2696. and 2710 at R and 2620, 2663, 2698, 2740, and 2745 at MV (add in mystery 12402). Those 12 2600s are like 18 years old. A few of them were on feeder routes, but in the past 4 years have been on 6-day routes. The excess after the feeders were killed were sold for scrap. As @rotjohns pointed out, there are still a few at H, and there are 3 at FV. Pace moves out maybe 20-23 22300s  from H to cover these.

In effect, you are saying Pace lied with its entry on RTAMS. I say it didn't lie, but it deferred that intent, using junk from NS, made available when the Shuttle Bugs shut down, to fill in the gap. So, 18 year old buses are retired and H gets the hybrids.

As I indicated, NS now doesn't run 30 foot buses. My guess is that, as historically the case, NS gets maybe 3 buses because it is short.

In the meantime, pictures from the Gillig plant show that there are Pulse wrapped buses. 20 of them are supposed to go to NW. I don't know if they are from this shipment or the subsequent shipment of 33 buses, but that's what's going to NW.

[Adam Hubbard]

Is Pace going to keep the 20 year old 2600 & 2700 El Dorado buses in service for a refurbishment or not or we have seen the last of them?

[Busjack]

49 minutes ago, Adam Hubbard said:

Is Pace going to keep the 20 year old 2600 & 2700 El Dorado buses in service for a refurbishment or not or we have seen the last of them?

Why don't you read my prior post?

[artthouwill]

Whenever NW gets the new Pulse Buses, they will be used PULSE rout as s.  Last week 6512 was on the 208.  Today 6494 is on Pulse Milwaukee.  

[Busjack]

17 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

Whenever NW gets the new Pulse Buses, they will be used PULSE rout as s.  Last week 6512 was on the 208.  Today 6494 is on Pulse Milwaukee.  

Looks like they are fill-ins for a short one way or another, or the bus on 208 got diverted at Davis. The other question is whether the bus on Golf had a 208 sign, as the Pulse Dempster buses deadhead to or from Davis via Golf. 

Although some random buses are in service like this, the plan announced when it was supposed to be CNG was 20 Pulse buses, which should be enough to cover Milwaukee and Dempster.

[artthouwill]

5 hours ago, Busjack said:

Looks like they are fill-ins for a short one way or another, or the bus on 208 got diverted at Davis. The other question is whether the bus on Golf had a 208 sign, as the Pulse Dempster buses deadhead to or from Davis via Golf. 

Although some random buses are in service like this, the plan announced when it was supposed to be CNG was 20 Pulse buses, which should be enough to cover Milwaukee and Dempster.

The 208 was eastbound.   O boarded at Golf Mill .  I didn't go all the way to Davis.  That said, there should already be enough Pulse buses between 6512 - 6522 and 6559 - 6573 to cover Dempster and Milwaukee.  But you're right that 20 should be more than enough. 

UPDATE.   Maybe the 20 will be arriving soon.  6561 no longer has a Pulse wrap but has a new wrap.  Certainly a couple of new buses should arrive for training purposrs.

[Busjack]

On 2/15/2026 at 6:48 PM, Busjack said:

Looks like Pace is getting hybrid buses in addition to the 116 under the Washington state contract and No-Low grant: 

 

 

On 2/17/2026 at 1:22 AM, jtrussel said:

So the possibility of more gilligs or New flyers 

I wonder how many are they ordering 

 

On 2/17/2026 at 9:00 PM, Busjack said:

The spec. is a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 250. ...

 

The Bid Results page has Gillig slightly cheaper than New Flyer: $321,813,500.00  to $ 328,625,000.00.

If the price is for the whole 250 buses, that's a little less than $1.3 million per bus.

 

[jtrussel]

As we are in may now, has pace or anyone see the new gilligs yet in service 

[artthouwill]

26 minutes ago, jtrussel said:

As we are in may now, has pace or anyone see the new gilligs yet in service 

Not yet.  But we know about 20 of them are in PULSE livery.  Since I frequently ride the Pulse routes, I will be on the lookout for them.   I don't expect to see any before mid May and possibly in revenue service around Memorial Day.

[Elkmn]

https://www.pacebus.com/name

TOMORROW.... 

[Busjack]

50 minutes ago, Elkmn said:

https://www.pacebus.com/name

TOMORROW.... 

tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...

I wondered why the webpage was titled name, until I saw that thCere was a contest to name the buses. I thought of something like CLEAN PHARTS, but the page says:

Quote

All submissions must be appropriate for a public, family-friendly transit system.

So, I guess I won't be entering.

[rotjohns]

They are indeed out.  Seeing all Heritage routes running them, no early 22300s on any of them.  I guess we'll know in the coming week where they've moved to.  No sign of them on North Shore or Northwest routes yet.  There's still a bunch of 2600s out this morning.

[artthouwill]

7 minutes ago, rotjohns said:

They are indeed out.  Seeing all Heritage routes running them, no early 22300s on any of them.  I guess we'll know in the coming week where they've moved to.  No sign of them on North Shore or Northwest routes yet.  There's still a bunch of 2600s out this morning.

@Busjack says those 22300s should probably go to R . Pace said North Shore would get some Gilligs.  We'll see how many.  

[rotjohns]

19 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

@Busjack says those 22300s should probably go to R . Pace said North Shore would get some Gilligs.  We'll see how many.  

Yeah I gotta believe they were moved after their last run on Saturday.  I'd imagine there's a process to get them ready for River routes.

[Busjack]

Attached is a spreadsheet of what I saw on Pace Bus Tracker at Heritage. It is roughly 22517-25537. Anyone seen if they are actually 35' buses? Pace may be messing with the numbering system again.

None on Pulse 100 or 101 at the moment.

gillig.xlsx

[rotjohns]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

Attached is a spreadsheet of what I saw on Pace Bus Tracker at Heritage. It is roughly 22517-25537. Anyone seen if they are actually 35' buses? Pace may be messing with the numbering system again.

None on Pulse 100 or 101 at the moment.

gillig.xlsxN

I live close to route 834.  I'll see if I can get over there today and check.  Try to take pics if I can.  

[Busjack]

Updated spreadsheet with one correction and a couple of more seen at noon. Now 25516-25537. The range would be 22 of 24. 19 counted, routes 511 and 512 not in service when I looked.

 

gillig.xlsx

Nothing new at R at the moment.

[rotjohns]

Here's 25520. I got video too, but file too big to load. Definitely a 35 foot bus. I'll try to get more this week.

 

[Busjack]

Based on Pace Bus Tracker and @maths22's Pace Bus Tracker History, it looks like Heritage got 25514-25537, which would be the 24 35 foot buses. That would mean that the 40 footers would be 25500-25512 and 25538-25547. That would indicate that the Pulse bus depicted by @MetroShadow is either 25507 or 25547.

Caveats:

• You have to use the History page and enter each vehicle number,  because the other pages are not pulling these bus numbers automatically.
• Pace's system has not been working properly. The official tracker site froze this morning, and the times shown on @maths22's tracker are clearly wrong.
• A couple of buses in the 35 foot range have not show up yet, and at this moment, 1 2700 and 2 22300s are on Pace's tracker.

[artthouwill]

According to a  NW Operator, NW has 3 new buses on property.   They have yet to train operators on the new buses .  I'm guessing all of them have to be trained .

[ycu2455]

Today's Gillig 25528. It’s a 35’ bus.

[artthouwill]

On 5/5/2026 at 1:50 PM, artthouwill said:

According to a  NW Operator, NW has 3 new buses on property.   They have yet to train operators on the new buses .  I'm guessing all of them have to be trained .

As a consolation prize igot to rde20700 on te 381.  Nota hybrid but a Gillig.   Good bus.  Better than the Phantoms.  

[pokemonprime]

The buses are in full service down in Joliet... here's 25532 in my best photo from today at Joliet Gateway Center. Quite fun seeing the TC full of these. Others seen today; 25516, 25517, 25519, 25522, 25525, 25528.

 

One fun thing I saw today; 25522 temporarily had the wrong headsign, but not just that: a headsign for the long defunct Route 907 Oswego-Aurora Shuttle (from what I can tell, this died in 2014 and was handed over to Kendall Area Transit before being fully discontinued in 2016 with the closure of the Park-n-Ride in Oswego. )

(emoji bc the driver said something about not wanting to be photographed)

For those looking to photograph these new busses, they can be found in spades at Joliet Gateway Center, and I observed quite a conga line of them returning out of service down Plainfield Road near the Plainfield/Raynor/Black intersection.