ST. CLOUD, MN, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ - (TSX: NFI) New Flyer of
America Inc. ("New Flyer"), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. ("NFI"),
one of the world's leading independent global bus manufacturers,
today announced that the Lane Transit District ("LTD") has awarded
New Flyer a contract for 11 Xcelsior CHARGE™ battery-electric
forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses, including seven ABB depot
chargers to support electric bus infrastructure development.
The zero-emission bus purchase, supported by Federal Transit
Administration ("FTA") Low or No-Emission funding, helps LTD to
continue fulfilling its mission of providing clean, reliable,
convenient transportation options for the Eugene-Springfield,
Oregon metro area and surrounding community.
"It is clear the Lane Transit District is a visionary in the
evolution to sustainable mobility operations and community
connectedness," said Chris Stoddart,
President, New Flyer. "We commend the LTD team for its steadfast
focus on making zero-emission goals a reality, and look forward to
supporting them in reducing carbon emissions while providing
cleaner, more efficient, and connected mobility to Lane County residents."
LTD has a longstanding commitment to sustainability. In 2014, it
received silver level certification for the American Public
Transportation Association's (APTA) sustainability commitment.
Since then, LTD hired a Sustainability Program Manager and
conducted carbon footprint analysis of its operations to measure
the impacts and benefits of public transit on climate change. The
study found the two greatest opportunities to reduce community
greenhouse gas emissions existed in ridership increases and
reduction of fleet vehicle emissions. The LTD Board of Directors is
now developing ambitious emission reduction goals for its fleet,
and the partnership with New Flyer and commitment to investing in
electric vehicles is an important part of its carbon reduction
strategy.
With the addition of Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses to its fleet, LTD
joins other west coast cities leading the transition to
zero-emission mobility with New Flyer, including Seattle, Portland, Los
Angeles, San Diego,
Coachella Valley, Oakland,
San Francisco, Orange County, and Victor Valley.
In assessing its transition to sustainable mobility, LTD
employed an innovative partnership with the University of Oregon ("UO") to study opportunities
and challenges. The Sustainable City Year Program, part of UO's
Sustainable Cities Initiative now in its tenth year of pairing
students with community partners in need of fresh ideas, partnered
with LTD over the 2019/2020 academic year. It focused on projects
to make local transportation more efficient and sustainable,
examining physical infrastructure and soliciting design ideas for
transit stations.
"We have worked hard to lead the transition to connected,
efficient, and sustainable mobility, and to develop a more livable
community through unique and innovative approaches," said
Aurora Jackson, General Manager of
Lane Transit District. "Together with New Flyer and alongside our
community stakeholders, we're pairing battery-electric technology
with local concepts for transit improvement, and will continue to
leverage local partnerships in our evolution toward a zero-emission
fleet."
Since 2004, NFI has delivered 50 buses to LTD, including New
Flyer transit buses and low-floor cutaway buses from NFI sister
company ARBOC. Over half are comprised of electric hybrid
propulsion, helping to lower emissions from public transit.
LTD provides more than 10 million boardings per year on its
buses and EmX Bus Rapid Transit line in Lane County, Oregon. Encompassing the
Eugene-Springfield metro area, LTD is a special
district of the State of Oregon
and led by a seven-member board of directors appointed by
Oregon's governor. LTD also
operates RideSource, a paratransit service for people with
disabilities, and numerous transportation options programs to
promote sustainable travel county-wide.
New Flyer has been manufacturing zero-emission buses for more
than 50 years, with more electric buses on the road in America than
any other bus manufacturer. With nearly 90 years of experience in
manufacturing, New Flyer today supports growing North American
cities with sustainable buses, technology, and infrastructure. It
also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center, the first and only
innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus technology
and providing essential workforce development through electric bus
training. New Flyer was the first bus manufacturer in the world to
sign on to the Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities, and
is currently developing automated bus technology to improve safety
in public transit.
About NFI
With 9,000 team members operating from more than 50 facilities
across ten countries, NFI is a leading independent global bus
manufacturer providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation
solutions under brands: New Flyer® (heavy-duty transit
buses), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses),
Plaxton (motor coaches), MCI® (motor coaches),
ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and
NFI Parts™. NFI buses and motor coaches incorporate the widest
range of drive systems available including: clean diesel, natural
gas, diesel-electric hybrid, and zero-emission electric (trolley,
battery, and fuel cell). In total, NFI now supports over
105,000 buses and coaches currently in service around the world.
NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under
the symbol NFI. News and information are available at
www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com,
www.arbocsv.com, www.alexander-dennis.com, and www.nfi.parts.
About New Flyer
New Flyer is North America's
heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product
line under the Xcelsior® and Xcelsior CHARGE™ brands. It
also offers infrastructure development through New Flyer
Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe,
sustainable, and reliable charging and mobility solutions. New
Flyer actively supports over 41,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New
Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 7,300 are
powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,600 are
zero-emission. Further information is available at
www.newflyer.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements
relating to expected future events and financial and operating
results of NFI Group that involve risks and uncertainties. Although
the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are
based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions,
investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent
with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be
material. Actual results may differ materially from management
expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a
variety of reasons, including market and general economic
conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for
customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services,
customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses,
the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for
convenience and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the
materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities
and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential
impact of these factors, the NFI Group disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
unless required by applicable
law.
SOURCE New Flyer of America Inc.