CTA Award for New Lo/No Buses

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, Elkmn said:

this PAINS me to say.. but it might be gilligs (they've got a pace order!). No way we get the "hell-norados". remember, it's lowest QUALIFIED bidder. i don't expect us to be ordering more 40-footers though. We just finished the nova order, we're rehabbing the 7900s (to an extent), and ~400 D40LFs are getting rehabbed IIRC (three-habbed? it's been 20 years!)

if we order 60-footers, which we need to since those 4000s are running on prayers at this point, it WILL be XE60s at this point. Keep an eye on what King County Metro and Sound Transit are doing! Might be a good indication of our plans. Will we get 3-doors? who's to say! stay optimistic though. this NITA money will get us in the right direction!

 

Somehow people continue to forget or ignore that the grant is for 150 40 ft hybrid buses. If you had read above, staff told the board that they were to replace 2006 model buses. 

Your only valid point is whether ENC would be a responsible bidder.

But no XE60s, BEBs, or foreign buses on a federal grant. 

[wayfaringrob]

15 hours ago, Busjack said:

Somehow people continue to forget or ignore that the grant is for 150 40 ft hybrid buses. If you had read above, staff told the board that they were to replace 2006 model buses.

It's the same commentator as last time. I even quoted and corrected them previously, and here we are again. Some people like to live in fantasyland, I suppose.

[Elkmn]

23 hours ago, Busjack said:

Somehow people continue to forget or ignore that the grant is for 150 40 ft hybrid buses. If you had read above, staff told the board that they were to replace 2006 model buses. 

i see. 

sounds like gilligs or XE40s!

[Busjack]

14 hours ago, Elkmn said:

i see. 

sounds like gilligs or XE40s!

Nope. XDE40s.

Again, look at the New Flyer website. (Brochure)

[Busjack]

On 5/8/2026 at 1:44 AM, Elkmn said:

this PAINS me to say.. but it might be gilligs (they've got a pace order!).

You may be right about that! Discussed in connection with the Pace contract, that contract contains language allowing CTA to piggyback off it. Maybe the deal during the transition was that CTA would handle the BEB procurement and Pace the hybrid one, but apparently it will be up to the successor boards to "pull the trigger."

[Elkmn]

3 hours ago, Busjack said:

You may be right about that! Discussed in connection with the Pace contract, that contract contains language allowing CTA to piggyback off it. Maybe the deal during the transition was that CTA would handle the BEB procurement and Pace the hybrid one, but apparently it will be up to the successor boards to "pull the trigger."

WHAT!?!??! I WAS JOKING! THIS IS CRAZY!!! 

I guess anything is possible now, with NITA!

Here's a crazy thought, what if Pace piggybacks off of CTA's impending order of artics? They don't have the maintenance equipment for 60-footers though (yet), but for routes like the 352 and the pulse lines, artics would be a big help!

[strictures]

On 5/8/2026 at 10:59 PM, Busjack said:

Nope. XDE40s.

Again, look at the New Flyer website. (Brochure)

Just make sure NF can add a software fix to prevent the drivers from jerking the bus from a standing start. I & many others have been knocked down, even while holding stanchion when some drivers seem to love doing that!  I'm sure there can be a software fix for that to make all standing starts, a very smooth acceleration.

Also make it so the bus automatically lowers when the doors open, unless the driver knows it's a higher boarding stop like Loop Link.  Far too many drivers just refuse to lower the front & many just lower it a fraction of what it can actually go.

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, Elkmn said:

Here's a crazy thought, what if Pace piggybacks off of CTA's impending order of artics? They don't have the maintenance equipment for 60-footers though (yet), but for routes like the 352 and the pulse lines, artics would be a big help!

As you said, it's a crazy thought. While Metra and Pace are rebuilding the Harvey TC, there isn't any evidence that they are building a 60-foot bay. The indication that use with Pulse is out the window was in a preliminary study of the Cermak Line that 60-foot stations would be needed to accommodate CTA buses in Berwyn. The back doors of artics can't be used if they don't line up with the flat part of the platform. For instance, besides Dempster apparently being in line for hybrids, the back door of an artic would probably end up at the Burger King driveway at Dodge. There are similar short platforms, such as at the NW corner of Crawford.