Mass Transit reports finished bus refurbishments for Long Beach and Minot
Mass Transit reported that Complete Coach Works finished refurbishment jobs on 13 Long Beach Transit articulated buses and one Minot City Transit bus. On the Long Beach buses, the biggest change was a swap to Cummins L9N near-zero engines. Jefferson Transit Authority is getting one refurbished bus from CCW through Washington's cooperative purchasing contract. California's Fresno Area Express has also bought CCW work under that contract, which shows its reach goes past Washington.
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Key facts, context, and what it means.
Key takeaways
Midlife refurbishments can include major engine swaps: LBT’s 2015 New Flyer artics replaced ISL-G engines with Cummins L9N CNG 'Near Zero' units.
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Jefferson Transit Authority in Port Townsend, Wash., is getting exactly one bus. Complete Coach Works (CCW) will supply and refurbish a 2013 30-foot Gillig low-floor diesel for the agency, bought through the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services cooperative purchasing contract, according to Mass Transit.
That same report closed out two finished jobs: 13 articulated buses for Long Beach Transit (LBT) and a single 30-foot Gillig for Minot City Transit in North Dakota. For anyone running a small fleet, the Port Townsend order is the one to watch.
Thirteen artics and a new engine family
The Long Beach job was a midlife refurbishment of 13 2015 New Flyer Xcelsior 60-foot articulated compressed natural gas buses.
The biggest change is in the engine bay. Every bus got a Cummins L9N CNG 'Near Zero' engine in place of its older ISL-G. That suggests this midlife refresh is a powertrain change too: LBT keeps its existing articulated buses and puts a newer engine in each one.
The remaining work covers what an articulated bus requires. CCW rebuilt the articulation joints, reupholstered the passenger seats and refurbished the driver's seat. The company also updated the exterior lighting and mirrors, installed new aluminum wheels, repainted the bus inside and out with new decals, and recertified its Amerex fire suppression systems. James Carson, CCW's regional sales manager, described the project as a joint effort from beginning to end. He said CCW is proud to have worked with Long Beach Transit to complete it, and that the job marks another milestone in the company's support of the agency's fleet programs.
One small bus, nearly every system touched
Minot's project covered a 30-foot Gillig low-floor diesel bus, and its listed scope reads as a deeper rebuild than the Long Beach job. The cooling and breathing systems got attention, with refurbished radiator, charge air cooler, surge tank, air intake and exhaust parts.
Then came the cabin. The bus got new Altro commercial-grade flooring, reupholstered seats, a new ergonomic driver's seat, refurbished stanchions and refreshed panels.
As described, the aim was a fleet option that is reliable and cost-effective and that extends the life of a proven vehicle. According to CCW Regional Sales Representative Jay Raber, the team set out to deliver a bus that Minot City Transit can depend on for many years.
A Washington contract that reaches Fresno
The contract's reach goes past Washington. In April, CCW finished refurbishing 11 40-foot CNG buses for Fresno Area Express (FAX), the bus system run by the City of Fresno Department of Transportation. FAX awarded that work under the Washington State Contract. Mass Transit noted that FAX had used the same approach on earlier CCW projects. Metro Magazine reported that officials said the contract enabled FAX to streamline its procurement processes, and that CCW did the work at its Riverside, Calif., headquarters. The scope included new flooring, a full LED lighting conversion, body repairs and undercarriage corrosion treatment, suspension, steering and brake rebuilds, rebuilt HVAC, and new APC, CAD/AVL, radio, camera and destination sign systems.
A California city that keeps buying bus rebuilds off a Washington state contract shows how far a cooperative purchasing vehicle can travel. For procurement leads outside Washington, FAX's repeat use is a concrete precedent to bring to their own counsel. That's especially true for agencies whose refurbishment plans keep stalling at the solicitation stage.
Before building a fleet plan around the Washington contract, check two things with the procurement office: that the agency is eligible to buy from it, and that it covers the work needed, whether that's a supplied refurbished bus or a rebuild of buses the agency already owns.
The Port Townsend clock
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