MIDDLEBURY, IN, Feb. 12, 2019 /CNW/ - (TSX: NFI) ARBOC Specialty
Vehicles, LLC® ("ARBOC"), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group
Inc. ("NFI"), the largest bus manufacturer in North America, today announced it was awarded
a Purchasing Agreement by the Florida Department of Transportation
("FDOT") for up to 500 fully-accessible Spirit of
Equess® ("Equess") low-floor medium-duty buses over a
five year period. The contract was procured through and will be
delivered by ARBOC's largest U.S. dealer, Creative Bus Sales, Inc.
of Jacksonville, Florida.
"The Equess is ARBOC's fully-accessible medium-duty, low-floor
transit and shuttle bus constructed on our own purpose-built
chassis that recently passed the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) Model Bus Testing Program at Altoona, Pennsylvania" said Don Roberts, President, ARBOC. "The Equess is
quickly gaining nationwide interest and we are very pleased to be
chosen for the FDOT contract and will adjust our production
schedule as required to accommodate orders received by the various
Florida agencies."
FDOT is an executive agency whose primary responsibility is to
coordinate the planning and development of a safe, viable,
efficient and balanced state transportation system serving all
regions of Florida. The State
procurement contract enables agencies to purchase buses off a price
list from several manufacturers. The one-year contract is for both
27-foot and 30-foot Equess buses, is available to all transit
agencies in the State of Florida,
and has up to four yearly renewals. No firm orders will be booked
into the backlog by the Company until an agency issues a purchase
order.
Creative Bus Sales is ARBOC's largest U.S. dealer, having
multiple locations across the United
States and over 200 employees dedicated to serving the
industry's needs. "We look forward to working closely with FDOT and
ARBOC to provide accessible transit solutions throughout
Florida", said Ray Cullers, Creative Bus Sales.
ARBOC has been innovating accessible transit for North Americans
since 2008. ARBOC currently holds purchasing agreements with
Metrolinx (Ontario),
Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC), and General Services
Administration (GSA), as well as state contracts with Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington, Arizona, New
Mexico, Colorado,
California, New York, and Virginia.
About NFI
With over 6,100 team members, operating from 31 facilities
across Canada and the United States, NFI is North America's largest bus manufacturer
providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions
under brands: New Flyer® (heavy-duty transit buses),
ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses),
MCI® (motor coaches), and NFI Parts™ (parts, support,
and service). NFI buses 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) on proven bus platforms. It also supports
infrastructure development through New Flyer Infrastructure
Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe and reliable
charging and mobility solutions. In total, NFI supports over 74,000
buses and coaches currently in service across North America. For the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2017, NFI posted
revenues of US $2.4 billion. NFI
common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
symbol NFI. News and information are available at
www.nfigroup.com.
About ARBOC
ARBOC is North America's
low-floor, body-on-chassis ("cutaway") bus leader serving transit,
paratransit, and shuttle applications. With more than 3,000 buses
produced, ARBOC leads the low-floor cutaway bus market providing
unsurpassed passenger accessibility and comfort. ARBOC also offers
the Equess and Liberty, medium-duty buses for transit and shuttle
applications. Further information is available at
www.arbocsv.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 ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC