Valley Metro bus fleet
For more information about Valley Metro (Regional Public Transportation Authority) in Maricopa County, Arizona, see: Valley Metro.
Vehicle suppliers
Since 1998, the cities of Phoenix and Tempe along with the RPTA have purchased coaches from North American Bus Industries (NABI); since 2004, Valley Metro has returned to purchasing coaches from New Flyer due to the late delivery of the NABI 45C-LFWs and the most recent NABI 40-LFW order.
Valley Metro was the original launch customer for the NABI 45C-LFW Compobus for its BRT and commuter express lines in the city of Phoenix as well as Tempe (the Phoenix RAPID buses have a different paint scheme (silver and green) from all other Valley Metro buses); other models in wide use include the nationally popular 40-LFW and 35-LFW (both of which Valley Metro was also the launch customer). Older RTS coaches manufactured by Transportation Manufacturing Corporation and D40LFs manufactured by New Flyer that were built in 1994 and 1996 were mostly phased out in 2007.
From 2004 to 2008, most of Valley Metro's bus orders were composed of former options from other transit agencies from around the western United States; these options were either added to by Valley Metro or cancelled and taken up by Valley Metro. Although this limited Valley Metro's ability to order buses to its own specifications, it also allowed for quicker bus delivery, which has become essential due to Valley Metro's rapid expansion.
In April 2006, RPTA put the first New Flyer C40LFR restyled transit buses into service in America; these vehicles are being used on the routes it directly operates in Tempe, Mesa and the surrounding areas. In summer 2006, Valley Metro also was the first customer outside of California to purchase the NABI 60-BRT; these buses were attached to the large Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority order and were built with similar specifications. In January 2006, the RPTA leased 20 Nova Bus RTS suburban buses from Golden Gate Transit that are used on Mesa and Chandler express routes. In March 2007, Phoenix negotiated a short-term (six-month) lease of three RTS buses from Omnitrans to operate local routes that were served by Phoenix-purchased RTS buses and New Flyer D40LF buses that had been taken out of service earlier than expected.
For 2008 Valley Metro continued the purchase of New Flyer equipment with an order of 51 C40LFR CNG buses, and 10 New Flyer D62LFA buses (Valley Metro is the third agency to order this bus type and the first to order it with a straight diesel engine) for more East Valley "supergrid" expansion and express route expansion. Unlike most of the 2007 D40LFR buses, the 2008 C40LFR buses have a "transit" configuration with two more wheelchair positions, more inward-facing seating, and no headrests. Also in 2008, Valley Metro tested a Motor Coach Industries D4500CT bus as a candidate for replacing their leased Nova Bus RTS vehicles.
On October 29, 2008, Valley Metro's Phoenix division became the first transit agency in the United States to place a large-scale order for the ElDorado National Axess bus, as well as the first transit agency to order an LNG-powered model of the Axess. While there have been several orders for this bus by smaller transit agencies and airports (Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport being one of them), this is the first large-scale purchase of an ElDorado National 40-foot bus in history. However, the order was eventually cancelled due to the city of Phoenix unable to receive funding for the order due to the economy.
In 2009, Valley Metro rehabilitated a large percentage of its NABI 40-LFW fleet operated from the Phoenix and Tempe divisions. The rehabilitation process involved external changes such as new signs and a new paint-job consisting of the 2006 Valley Metro scheme, and internal changes such as new seat cushions, window repair/replacement. Buses 6157-6163 from the RPTA were also selected for rehabilitation, they were rehabilitated in 2010.
In extremely rare situations (such as when an express trip has extremely low ridership, when an express bus trip is overcrowded, or if a bus breaks down and there is no replacement nearby), First Transit-RPTA will use former paratransit vehicles in regular service.
In November 2003, Valley Metro ordered 50 Kinki Sharyo Light Rail Vehicles for its Metro Light Rail service.[1]
In March 2012, the city of Phoenix issued an RFP for a five-year contract for new diesel and LNG buses, with 40 buses per year. Bids were due April 5. Four manufacturers proposed bids for the contract: New Flyer Industries, North American Bus Industries, Gillig, and ElDorado National, with only New Flyer Industries submitting a bid. However, the RFP was cancelled after the city of Phoenix hired a fuel consultant, determining that future purchases should consist of CNG buses instead of LNG. The city of Phoenix instead purchased 120 New Flyer C40LFR buses off the RPTA contract.
Meanwhile, the city of Tempe has replaced its ORBIT fleet with 35 new cutaway buses by Starcraft Bus in 2013. The City of Tempe also leased a 30-foot New Flyer Industries MiDi bus from July to December 2013 as a pilot project to introduce larger buses into the ORBIT fleet.
The RPTA's existing contract with New Flyer expired on July 1, 2013. New Flyer and Gillig have sent demo buses for the RPTA to test (a Montebello Bus Lines New Flyer XN40 and a Utah Transit Authority Gillig BRT CNG 40'). A third manufacturer, North American Bus Industries, elected not to send a demo, but a parts director. The RFP was issued in January 2014, and is a joint procurement between the RPTA and the city of Phoenix. The RFP was split into four sections: 30-foot, 40-foot standard, 60-foot standard, and 40/45/60-foot bus rapid transit. Bids have been submitted by New Flyer, Gillig, and ElDorado National. On September 30, 2014, award recommendations have been announced, with the 30-foot section being awarded to ElDorado National, the 40-foot standard section awarded to Gillig, and both the 60-foot standard and 40/45/60-foot bus rapid transit sections awarded to New Flyer.
Fleet descriptions
Active
Note that this listing does not include GUS (Glendale Urban Shuttle) vehicles, nor any Dial-A-Ride vehicles (other than those repurposed for fixed route use).
| Make/ Model |
length | Year | Numbers (Quantity Ordered) |
Engine/ Transmission |
Fuel Propulsion | Operators | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1999 | 6211-6245 (35 buses) |
|
LNG | Transdev-Phoenix | These buses are different from the 1998 Transdev-Phoenix 40-LFWs in the fact that they have Twin Vision LEDot signs, a slightly different front end, a wheelchair lift sign in the rear, slightly different flooring, TSI seating (rather than American Seating), and different speakers. Some of these buses have been rehabilitated with the 2006 color scheme, new windows, and new seat cushions. By the end of 2011, one bus in this group (6236) had been retired. These buses are in the process of being replaced by the 2016 Gillig Low Floor CNG buses. As of October 2016, 19 of these buses remain in service. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 2002 | 6282-6377 (95 buses) |
|
LNG | Transdev-Phoenix | These buses are similar to 6001-6156, but have TwinVision Amber LED signs, a rear wheelchair sign, the same front end as on the 1999 40-LFW buses, blue tinted windows, and a different number font. Inside they have "screwed-in" and welded walls as well as carpeted rear walls. One bus was lost to fire on December 29, 2008. Bus 6291 was retrofitted in 2004 with TwinVision Chroma IV multi-color signs. As a result, this bus operates during the summer and winter of each year as the "Flag Bus" and "Holiday Bus" respectively, because the multi-color signs can display special festive readings. During the spring and fall, this bus remains in the green and purple Valley Metro colors, but with the new seat cushions. One of these buses was destroyed by fire. Bus 6377 has an Allison B400R5 Gen-IV Transmission. As of November 2014, 6282-6290 are based at the Transdev-Phoenix North Division while 6291-6377 are based at the Transdev-Phoenix South Division. These buses are in the process of being replaced by the 2016 Gillig Low Floor CNG buses. |
| NABI 45C-LFW |
45' | 2003 | 7101-7123 (23 buses) |
|
LNG | Transdev-Phoenix | These were the first 45C-LFW "CompoBuses" ever produced, and have a composite carbon fiber design. These buses only operate Phoenix RAPID routes, and are painted in the green and silver RAPID livery. They have TwinVision signs and sealed, lightly tinted windows. Inside, they have highback reclining seats with adjustable headrests, dark gray walls, personal reading lights, air vents, and luggage racks. Until July 2012, the lower-numbered buses operated on the I-10 West RAPID service, which was run by First Transit. However, in July 2012, those buses along with the I-10 West RAPID route were reassigned to Transdev-Phoenix. |
| NABI 45C-LFW |
45' | 2004 | 7124-7156 (33 buses) |
|
LNG | Transdev-Phoenix | These buses are identical to 7101-7123 but were delivered with the Route Scout system as opposed to 7101-7123 (which were delivered with the prior "Stop Requested" front sign and no automatic stop announcements). They also operate RAPID service. |
| New Flyer D60LF | 60' | 2004 | 8001-8020 (20 buses) |
|
Diesel | Transdev-Phoenix | These buses were the first D60LFs operated by Valley Metro and the first New Flyer buses since 1996. Due to a change in Arizona state law that considered ultra-low-sulfur diesel as an acceptable fuel for transit vehicles (from 1996-2004 all transit vehicles 30' and greater had to be powered by either CNG, LNG, or propane), Valley Metro was able to purchase articulated buses as at the time there was no LNG-powered articulated bus on the market. These buses do not have noticeably tinted windows, and also have TwinVision Amber LED signs, but starting with this order (and all subsequent orders) the driver's side LED sign was no longer a feature. These buses also have new floors and seats, but have the same beige and dark gray walls and ceiling as the earlier D40LF buses. Unlike the later D60LF buses, they lack a roof-mounted strobe light. These buses were the first to be delivered with Route Scout, but it was not activated until 2005. This order was a joint order with Lane Transit District of Eugene, Oregon, who ordered five D60LFs built with identical specifications that were delivered at the same time as the Valley Metro order. |
| StarTrans Replica Trolley | 30' | 2006 | 5008-5014 (7 buses) |
|
Bio-Diesel | Ollie the Trolley | These buses are owned by the city of Scottsdale and are nearly identical to buses 5001-5007. As of February 2014, several of these buses have been retired. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2006 | 6401-6452 (52 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These were the first C40LFRs placed in service in the United States, as well as the first buses to wear the 2006 Valley Metro livery and have the updated RPTA interior. These buses can be found on nearly every RPTA-operated route based at the Mesa facility. These buses were part of a joint order with Atlanta's MARTA system, which ordered similar buses around the same time. Inside, these buses feature dark blue tinted windows, USSC "Aries" passenger seating with blue seat inserts, and a white corrugated vandal-resistant interior similar to that on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses. In the summer of 2008, buses 6401-6410 were transferred to Veolia-Tempe, although the RPTA still owned the buses. Because these buses cannot be fueled at the Tempe facility, in December 2008 6401-6410 were transferred back to the RPTA Mesa facility in exchange for 2008 C40LFRs (which can be fueled at the Tempe facility). |
| NABI 60-BRT | 60' | 2006 | 8501-8510 (10 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These 10 buses were originally ordered for East Valley express service (routes 531-533 and 540-541) but when service frequency increased to accommodate 40-foot buses, some of these buses were put onto busy crosstown routes such as route 30-University, route 61-Southern, and (since July 28, 2008) route 45-Broadway. In addition, these buses do still provide some express service. These buses were part of a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority order, and were built to similar specifications. However, unlike the LACMTA buses, they have TwinVision LED amber signs, a different A/C unit, blue rather than "rainbow" seat inserts, blue tinted windows, and no Transit TV. Interior and exterior safety notices, however, are identical to those of LACMTA. These buses are in the 2006 Valley Metro color scheme. |
| New Flyer D40LFR | 40' | 2007 | 6453-6456 (4 buses) |
|
Diesel | First Transit-RPTA, Valu Trans | These four buses are similar to 6401-6452, but have no rooftop CNG tank (the fuel tank is located under the three seats across from the rear door instead), lighter blue tinted windows, all lengthwise seating in the low-floor section, four wheelchair positions (as opposed to three), and more LED lighting. These buses were part of an order for VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio. These buses originally operated out of the RPTA Mesa facility until late July 2013 when they were transferred to the Tempe facility as part of the unification of Tempe bus operations with the RPTA. However, in October 2014, most of these buses were moved to Valu Trans due to service expansions for West Valley express routes, while the remainder of the fleet was moved back to the Mesa facility. |
| New Flyer D40LFR | 40' | 2007 | 6457-6460, 6481-6500 (24 buses) |
|
Diesel | Valu Trans | These buses are similar to 6453-6456, but have the "standard" seating configuration in the low floor section, and have highback non-reclining USSC "Aries" seats with headrests (only forward-facing seats). These "semi-suburban" buses do not have luggage racks or personal air vents/reading lights. As a result, these buses can be used on both local and express routes. These buses were also part of the order for VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio. The gap between 6460 and 6481 was filled by the Nova Bus RTWFD82 buses. 6457-6460 and 6481-6483 were operated by First Transit-RPTA on local routes in the East Valley and operated out of the RPTA Mesa facility until late July 2013 when all buses except 6457 were transferred over to Valu Trans in the West Valley, while 6457 was transferred over to the Tempe facility as part of the unification of Tempe bus operations with the RPTA. In October 2014, 6457 was transferred to Valu Trans as well. |
| New Flyer D40LF | 40' | 2007 | 6501-6596 (96 buses) |
|
Diesel | First Transit-Phoenix, Transdev-Phoenix | These buses were delivered in the 2006 color scheme, and also have a grille over the engine to prevent overheating. However, they have the original D40LF design rather than the restyled front and rear design present on the D40LFR buses. Unlike the D40LFRs, these buses have their rear door three (instead of four) positions back from the front door to allow easier loading and unloading with the wheelchair ramp (which is located in the rear), and this is the same position as on the 1994 and 1996 D40LF buses. These buses have the same flooring, seating type, and walls/ceiling as the 2004 D60LF buses, but they have new seat cushions, new light gray advertising racks with brighter lighting, different number font, and new windows. Originally, buses 6501-6553 were operated by First Transit, while buses 6554-6596 were operated by Transdev-Phoenix, but these buses have been moved around between the two divisions since then. Currently, these buses operate out of the First Transit-Phoenix West Division and the Transdev-Phoenix South Division. Until the delivery of the 2014 New Flyer C40LFR buses, several of these buses were based at the Transdev-Phoenix North Division; the delivery of the 2014 C40LFR buses allowed the North Division to transfer these buses to the South Division to replace some of the South Division's 1998 NABI 40-LFW buses. |
| New Flyer D60LF | 60' | 2007 | 8021-8050 (30 buses) |
|
Diesel | First Transit-Phoenix | These buses have the 2006 color scheme and numbering font, but have smaller "Valley Metro" lettering compared to the 2007 D40LF buses. They have exactly the same specifications as the 2007 D40LFs, but have two rooftop air conditioning units. All of these buses are operated by First Transit and normally operate the busy Phoenix crosstown (east-west) routes (3, 17, 29, and 41). Buses 8046-8050 were operated by Veolia-Phoenix South Division and normally appeared on the Red Line and route 70 until December 2008, when they were transferred back to First Transit with the elimination of the Red Line and the arrival of the 2008 D60LFs. |
| StarTrans Senator | 25' | 2007 | 1461–1500 (40 buses) |
|
Gasoline | MV Transportation-Phoenix, First Transit-Phoenix, and Transdev-Phoenix | These buses are all painted in the purple and white "Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator" color scheme. They have roll signs, hard gray forward-facing seats, a glossy white interior, and Route Scout. Buses 1461-1473 are operated by MV Transportation on the ALEX (Ahwatukee Local EXplorer) circulator route, buses 1474-1486 are operated by First Transit on the MARY (Maryvale Area Ride for You) circulator route, and buses 1487-1500 are operated by Transdev-Phoenix on the SMART (Sunnyslope Multi-access Area Residential Transit) circulator route. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2008 | 6597-6647 (51 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses have their rear door located 2 windows behind their front door, like the 2007 D40LFs (and unlike the 2006 C40LFRs and 2007 D40LFRs). All seats in the low-floor section are lengthwise, and the seats are identical to those on the 2006 C40LFRs and 2007 D40LFRs 6453-6456 (USSC "Aries" seats without headrests). These are the first buses in the Valley Metro fleet to use push-buttons for stop request, as well as being the first buses since 1995 to have stop request tape (in the driver's side of the low-floor section only). These buses also have smooth white walls (as opposed to the corrugated walls on the 2006 C40LFRs and 2007 D40LFRs) and attractive, energy-efficient LED interior lighting as well (note that buses 6617 and higher have a different type of LED lighting than buses 6597-6616). These buses replaced the remaining 1994 D40LF buses operating for the RPTA, allow for the transfer of some of the 2007 D40LFRs to Valu Trans to facilitate express service expansion, and allow for the "supergrid" upgrade of routes 61 and 96. Buses 6597-6616 entered service on June 12, 2008, while buses 6617 and higher entered service on July 28, 2008. All of these buses were originally operated only by Veolia-RPTA, but buses 6633-6647 were transferred to Veolia-Tempe in December 2008 in exchange for buses 6401-6410. The Tempe-operated buses are still owned by the RPTA and were generally only used on RPTA-funded routes 72 and 81, however, since 2011 these buses now operate throughout the Tempe system. In late July 2013, all of these buses have been transferred to the Tempe facility as part of the unification of Tempe bus operations with the RPTA. These buses do not have the electric fan engine cooling feature present in the 2006 and 2009 and later C40LFRs, rather these buses use a hydraulic-drive cooling system. |
| New Flyer D60LF | 60' | 2008 | 8051-8064 (14 buses) |
|
Diesel | Transdev-Phoenix | These buses are nearly identical to the 2007 D60LFs but feature external cameras in addition to the internal cameras that are found on most Valley Metro buses. The license plates of these buses are also slightly different. Inside, the buses feature stickers on the front side windows that denote the priority seating areas (like the 2006 C40LFRs and 2007 D40LFRs), and the articulated joint area has a gray color rather than a cream color. They also have a Cummins ISL engine instead of a Caterpillar C9. Unlike the 2008 C40LFRs these buses do not have LED interior lighting. These buses can be found on north-south routes in Phoenix, such as the 7, 12, 15, 19, 44, and 70, and are based at the Transdev-Phoenix South Division. |
| New Flyer D62LFA | 62' | 2008 | 8511-8520 (10 buses) |
|
Diesel | First Transit-RPTA | Valley Metro is the first agency to order this bus type (with a straight diesel engine as opposed to a hybrid engine) along with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and Lane Transit District (who both ordered hybrids), and these buses are options from the Cleveland order. These buses are used on both Valley Metro LINK arterial bus rapid transit service routes along Main Street and Arizona Avenue/Country Club Drive. These buses were the first to display the new Valley Metro logo and have a different color scheme from the rest of the fleet (silver and purple). These buses are the first in the fleet to have sealed, frameless windows as well. These buses have a similar interior to the 2008 C40LFRs, but with head rests on the seats, new flooring, new gray-purple seat cushions made from recycled water bottles, and light gray paneling. They also provide wireless Internet access. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2009 | 6648-6668 (21 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are similar to the 2008 units, with differences including large yellow wheelchair symbol decals on the floors by the wheelchair securement areas, external cameras, as well as diffused lenses for the interior lighting, which give the LED lighting a more uniform appearance than on the 2008 C40LFRs. Also, these buses returned to using EMP Mini-Hybrid electric fans for cooling the engine like the 2006 C40LFRs (and unlike the 2008 C40LFRs). All of these buses were originally operated from the RPTA Mesa facility, however, since the unification of the Tempe bus operations with the RPTA, these buses have been moved around between the Mesa and Tempe facilities from time to time. Units 6667 and 6668 are painted in a new paint scheme (base silver with green and purple striping) which was to be a tryout for new Valley Metro imaging,[2] and have purple/gray seat cloths instead of blue. |
| New Flyer L40LFR | 40' | 2010 | 6669-6675 (7 buses) |
|
LNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. Unit 6669 features a different new livery, similar to that of 6667-6668 but with a green front (6670-6675 have the 2006 livery with the fleet numbers in a different and smaller font). Inside, they have the same seating configuration as the 2009 C40LFR's, however the interior colors have been completely redesigned. They have new teal and green seat covers, and lighter floors. This batch also has pull-cords instead of stop buttons and touch tapes. Also, unlike prior New Flyer C40LFRs and D40LFRs which have TwinVision head, side, and rear destination signs, black window frames and curved window doors; this batch has Luminator destination signs, silver window frames and squared window doors. |
| New Flyer D42LFA | 40' | 2010 | 7001-7009 (9 buses) |
|
Diesel | First Transit-RPTA | Valley Metro is the first agency to order this bus type (with a straight diesel engine as opposed to a hybrid engine) along with Long Beach Transit and WMATA (who both ordered hybrids). These buses are used on the Valley Metro LINK arterial bus rapid transit service along Arizona Avenue/Country Club Drive, commonly seen during non-peak hours, with the D62LFA's now being used during peak hours. These buses, along with the 2008 D62LFAs, have a different color scheme from the rest of the fleet (silver and purple). These buses are the second in the fleet to have sealed, frameless windows as well. These buses have the same interior as the 2008 D62LFAs, with head rests on the seats, new flooring, new gray-purple seat cushions made from recycled water bottles, and light gray paneling. They feature a different, unknown engine configuration to the D62LFA's used on Valley Metro LINK service. Like the 2008 D62LFA's, they provide wireless Internet access. |
| ElDorado National Passport | 30' | 2010 | Unknown | Diesel | Ajo Transportation | These buses entered service in 2010. They operate route 685-Gila Bend Regional Connector service. | |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2011 | 6676-6697 (22 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They replaced several Tempe-operated NABI 35-LFW and 40-LFW buses built from 1998 to 2001. They all feature white Luminator LED destination signs, feature silver window frames and pull cords like the L40LFRs instead of black window frames and buttons/touch tape like the RPTA-owned C40LFRs, as well as the same green front livery as 6669. Buses are options off RPTA contract. |
| New Flyer DE60LFR | 60' | 2011 | 8065-8081 (17 buses) |
|
Diesel-electric Hybrid | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They feature a modified version of the new color scheme, with a high visibility green front and metallic silver back. They use the same seating configuration as the D62LFA-BRTs, but use the newer interior seat cover designs and feature a gray interior color. These are the first coaches to feature Luminator white LED front, side and rear destination signs. Buses are a piggyback off ABQ RIDE options. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2012 | 6698-6713 (16 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They replaced several Tempe-operated NABI 35-LFW and 40-LFW buses built from 1998 to 2001. They are nearly identical to 6676-6697, except the interior LED sign is a multicolor LED sign instead of amber (even though the multicolor function of the sign isn't currently used). Buses are options off RPTA contract. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2012 | 6714-6733 (20 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | Replaced Nova RTS fleet. These buses have only one door and are in a suburban layout with highback reclining seats, luggage racks, reading lights, and Wi-Fi. Buses are equipped with Luminator Horizon White signs like the newest Tempe buses, however, they feature the same silver livery as 6667-6668, except with purple and red "Valley Metro Express" wording, and also feature frameless windows like the RPTA D62LFA and D40LFA buses. In late July 2013, these buses were moved to the Tempe garage as part of the unification of Tempe transit operations with the RPTA. |
| Starcraft Bus Allstar | 25' | 2013 | 1551-1584 (34 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and are the first CNG buses to be used on the Tempe ORBIT, replacing the 2007-2008 ElDorado National Aerotech buses. Buses are options off RPTA contract. |
| Gillig Low Floor Hybrid | 29' | 2013 | 4505-4508 (4 buses) |
|
Biodiesel-electric hybrid | Ollie the Trolley | These buses were purchased by the RPTA for the City of Scottsdale, and are a piggyback off options of the Florida Consortium led by Lynx in Orlando. Buses are painted in a trolley look, but do not have the full Gillig Trolley Replica package. Unlike most Valley Metro buses, these buses have the wheelchair ramp at the front door. The windows are more tinted than standard. Seats are the American Seating Vision model, and destination signs are Luminator Horizon amber LED signs. Also, like the 2008-2009 RPTA-owned New Flyer C40LFRs (and unlike the Tempe-owned C40LFRs and L40LFRs), these buses feature stop request buttons and touch tapes. These buses received a trolley look package in 2015, and were also retrofitted with Route Scout, however, as of November 2015, the Route Scout system is not currently activated. |
| Gillig Low Floor Hybrid | 35' | 2013 | 4509-4514 (6 buses) |
|
Biodiesel-electric hybrid | Ollie the Trolley | These buses were purchased by the RPTA for the City of Scottsdale, and are a piggyback off options of the Florida Consortium led by Lynx in Orlando. Buses are painted in a trolley look, but do not have the full Trolley Replica package. Besides length, specs are otherwise identical to 4505-4508. These buses received a trolley look package in 2015, and were also retrofitted with Route Scout, however, as of November 2015, the Route Scout system is not currently activated. |
| Gillig Trolley Replica Hybrid | 29' | 2013 | 4501-4504 (4 buses) |
|
Biodiesel-electric hybrid | Ollie the Trolley | These buses were purchased by the RPTA for the City of Scottsdale, and are a piggyback off options of the Florida Consortium led by Lynx in Orlando. Unlike buses 4505-4514, these buses have the full Trolley Replica package with a functioning bell. Features are otherwise similar to 4505-4514. These buses were retrofitted with Route Scout in 2015, however, as of November 2015, the Route Scout system is not currently activated. |
| Starcraft Bus Allstar | 25' | 2013 | 1585-1588 (4 buses) |
|
Gasoline | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the RPTA and operate the Downtown Mesa BUZZ circulator route, replacing the StarTrans and ElDorado cutaways built in 2005. Unlike the Tempe ORBIT buses which have CNG engines, these buses have gasoline engines. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2013 | 6734-6749 (16 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and were ordered to replace all remaining Tempe-owned NABI 35/40-LFW LNG buses built in 1998-2002. These buses have their fleet numbers in a bolder font from the 2011 and 2012 Tempe-owned C40LFRs. These buses are also the first Tempe-owned buses to be equipped with Wi-Fi. Strangely, these buses have the older style advertisement racks like the 2010 L40LFRs, instead of the newer style like on the 2011-2012 C40LFRs. Buses are options off RPTA contract. |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 40' | 2014 | 5001-5120 (120 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-Phoenix, Transdev-Phoenix | These are the first buses for Phoenix to feature the New Flyer Restyled ends, and are the first CNG buses for the City of Phoenix. These buses replaced most of the 1998 Phoenix NABI 40-LFW buses. These buses are options from the RPTA contract, however, unlike the C40LFRs owned by the RPTA and the City of Tempe, these buses have Allison transmissions instead of ZF. These buses also feature a mostly white livery with a wide purple and thin green swoosh wrapping around the front of the bus, a silver roof with the City of Phoenix insignia towards the front of the bus and the Valley Metro logo towards the rear, and white CNG tanks. Destination signs are Luminator Horizon White, and passenger seats are USSC Aries. Lower numbered buses are assigned to the First Transit-Phoenix West Division while higher numbered buses are assigned to the Transdev-Phoenix North Division. |
| ElDorado National Aero Elite |
30' | 2014 | Unknown (8 buses) |
|
Diesel | Valu Trans | These buses entered service in late January 2014, and are used on the Avondale Zoom neighborhood circulator route. They replaced the smaller previous ElDorado National Aerotech buses, which were former East Valley Dial-A-Ride vehicles. |
| Starcraft Bus Allstar | 25' | 2015 | 1600-1604 (4 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are owned by the City of Tempe and are a follow-up to the 2013 order. As with buses 1551-1584, they operate the Tempe ORBIT routes. Buses are options off RPTA contract. |
| Gillig Low Floor CNG | 40' | 2016 | 5121-5240 (120 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-Phoenix, Transdev-Phoenix, | Originally entering service in February 2016, with more units being delivered through September 2016.[3] These buses will replace the remaining 1998 and all of the 1999 Phoenix-owned NABI 40-LFW fleet. As of September 10, 2016, vehicles 5121-5199 had been delivered[4][5] and assigned to the Transdev-Phoenix South Division, with higher number vehicles (around 5175 and up) assigned to First Transit-Phoenix West. These vehicles feature LED lighting, Luminator Horizon amber destination signs and USSC Aries seating, identical to that found on the 2014 New Flyer C40LFRs. Notably, these vehicles feature sliding plug style doors at the rear, as opposed to Slide-Glide type doors found on nearly all other vehicles in the Valley Metro fleet. The rear doors are wider than on the 40-foot New Flyer and NABI buses; this was likely specified to accommodate a rear wheelchair ramp, since Gillig's standard size rear door is too narrow to fit a wheelchair. As with the 2006 New Flyer C40LFRs and 2007 D40LFRs, the rear doors on these buses are in their standard location, rather than being shifted forward as they are on all Phoenix-owned 40-foot New Flyer buses, as well as all RPTA- and Tempe-owned 40-foot New Flyer buses built in 2008 or later. |
| Gillig Low Floor CNG | 40' | 2016 | 6750-6759 (10 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are for fleet expansion for the RPTA, and operate from the Tempe facility. |
| New Flyer XD60 | 60' | 2016 | 8082-8101 (20 buses) |
|
Diesel | Transdev-Phoenix | Currently being delivered. These buses are to be used for service expansion. The pilot vehicle was delivered in August 2016. These vehicles feature USSC Gemini seating, a change from previous orders. |
| New Flyer XN60 BRT | 60' | 2016 | 7157-7165 (8 buses) |
|
CNG | Transdev-Phoenix | These are the newest buses for the RAPID, replacing the NABI 45C-LFW buses for Phoenix. |
On order
| Make/ Model |
length | Year | Numbers (Quantity Ordered) |
Engine/ Transmission |
Fuel Propulsion | Operators | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Flyer XN60 | 60' | 2016 | Unknown (3 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are to be used for fleet expansion for the proposed Scottsdale/Rural Road LINK route. |
| New Flyer XN60 | 60' | 2016-2017 | Unknown (8 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are likely to replace the City of Tempe's 2004 NABI 45C-LFW buses. |
| ElDorado National EZ Rider II MAX | 30' | 2016-2017 | Unknown (8 buses) |
TBA | CNG | First Transit-RPTA | This order was originally placed by the City of Phoenix for new DASH neighborhood circulator vehicles, however those plans have now been scrapped since the DASH now operates using 40-foot buses. This order will now by placed by Valley Metro and the City of Tempe, for a total of 8 vehicles to be used on Orbit routes, with Tempe intending to convert Orbit routes to use heavy-duty vehicles.[6] |
| Gillig Low Floor (Diesel and/or CNG models) |
40' | 2017-2020 | Unknown (70 buses) |
TBA | Diesel and/or CNG | TBA (Phoenix) | These buses are likely to replace the City of Phoenix's 2002 NABI 40-LFW buses. |
| New Flyer XD60 and/or XN60 | 60' | 2017-2020 | Unknown (60 buses) |
TBA | Diesel and/or CNG | TBA (Phoenix) | These buses may possibly replace the City of Phoenix's 2003 NABI 45C-LFW buses. Fuel type is currently unknown. |
| Gillig Low Floor CNG | 40' | 2018 | Unknown (52 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are likely to replace the 2006 New Flyer C40LFR buses in the RPTA fleet. |
| New Flyer XN60 | 60' | 2018 | Unknown (10 buses) |
|
CNG | First Transit-RPTA | These buses are likely to replace the 2006 NABI 60-LFW CNG buses in the RPTA fleet. |
In addition, the City of Phoenix and Valley Metro RPTA have signed options with New Flyer for BRT-styled diesel and/or CNG buses either in 40-foot or 60-foot lengths. Should these options be exercised, however, they will only be ordered in a single length.
Retired
Note that this listing does not include GMC New Look, route 70-Luke Link, or GUS the Bus retired vehicles.
| Make/ Model |
Length | Year | Numbers (Quantity Ordered) |
Fuel Propulsion | Year Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flxible 53096 "New Look" |
40' | 1973 | 4701-4740 (40 buses) |
Diesel | 1994 | These were the first buses produced for Phoenix Transit System. They were originally painted in the Phoenix "Phase I" color scheme, which had a white, silver, and yellow base, orange and purple stripes running across the sides, and an orange stripe around the windshield rims. These buses also featured "Tico", an orange anthropomorphic sun-shaped figure with a sombrero and sunglasses. These buses also had soft blue "bucket" seats. In the late-1980s, these buses were rehabilitated and repainted into the Phoenix "Phase III" color scheme, which featured modified orange and purple stripes, with black paint up to the white roofline (to simulate the RTS and Flxible Metro-A buses), and white below the stripes. The "Tico" logo was also featured in this livery, but was replaced in 1993 by a small Valley Metro logo. These buses also received Vultron flip-dot signs at this time. These buses were replaced by the 1994 New Flyer D40LF buses. |
| Flxible 53096 "New Look" |
40' | 1975 | 4741-4755 (15 buses) |
Diesel | 1994 | These buses were identical to the 1973 Flxible buses and went through the same changes as the 1973 Flxible buses. |
| AM General Model 9640A |
40' | 1975 | 4756-4788 (33 buses) |
Diesel | 1996 | These buses were the first AM General buses built for Phoenix Transit System. They were all delivered in the "Phase I" scheme and featured rollsigns and soft blue bucket seats. They had woodgrain and white side walls as well. In the late-1980s these buses received Vultron signs and were repainted into the "Phase III" scheme. All of these buses were replaced by the 1996 New Flyer D40LF buses. |
| AM General Model 9640A |
40' | 1975 | 5101-5115 (15 buses) |
Diesel | 1996 | These buses were similar to 4756-4788, but featured 51 seats instead of 47 (Phoenix Transit System numbered their buses with the first two digits representing the number of passenger seats per bus). |
| MAN/AM General SG-220 |
60' | 1979 | 7001-7020 (20 buses) |
Diesel | 1998 | These were the first articulated buses delivered to Phoenix Transit System. When they were first delivered, they were painted in the Phoenix "Phase I" colors. They also featured an electronic route number sign that was paired with a standard destination roll sign, and an underfloor A/C unit that proved to be extremely unreliable during Phoenix's hot summers. Inside, the buses featured blue floors, soft blue bucket seats (with hard plastic seats at the rear of the buses), aluminum and cream side walls, illuminated advertising racks, and a cream-colored ceiling. In the late 1980s these buses also were repainted in the "Phase III" scheme, received Vultron destination signs, and a rooftop A/C unit. These buses were retired in 1998, but were not replaced by articulated buses because there were no articulated buses that were fueled by LNG in the United States at the time. They were sold to World Transportation (now Coach USA) in Orlando, Florida after retirement. |
| GMC T8H-203 "RTS-03" |
40' | 1979 | 4501-4537 (37 buses) |
Diesel | 2002 | These buses were the first RTS buses delivered to Phoenix Transit System. Originally, they were painted in the Phoenix "Phase II" colors, which were similar to the "Phase III" colors but featured an orange rim around the front windshield. These buses were delivered with rollsigns, sealed windows, and low-profile A/C units, which gave the buses a distinctive "slopeback" rear end. These buses also featured blue floors, soft blue seats (with hard plastic seats in the rear of the buses) blue walls below the windowline, cream window dividers, a blue rear wall, illuminated advertising racks, and glossy ceilings. In the late-1980s these buses received Vultron signs, four opening windows on each side (replacing the sealed windows), and an A/C unit that "squared off" the rear of the bus. In 1994, some of these buses were retrofitted with wheelchair lifts and given the then-new green and purple Valley Metro scheme. While most of these buses were replaced by the 1998 NABI 40-LFW buses (because they were not wheelchair accessible) the accessible units stayed in service until January 2002. Bus number 4507 was retired with 645,182 miles and is currently is undergoing RV conversion. The bus is still painted the green and purple Valley Metro scheme and is now in Tacoma, WA. |
| GMC T8J-204 "RTS-04" |
40' | 1981 | 4401-4415 (15 buses) |
Diesel | 2002 | These buses were the first wheelchair-accessible buses to enter service in Phoenix. Originally, they featured first generation flip-dot signs, sealed windows, and a squared-off rear end with a more reliable A/C unit. Inside, the buses were similar to the RTS-03 buses but featured lights mounted above the advertising racks (rather than having the entire advertising rack illuminated). They were delivered in the "Phase II" scheme like the RTS-03 buses. In the late 1980s, the buses received two opening side windows, new Vultron signs, and the "Phase III" scheme. They were repainted into the Valley Metro scheme in 1994 and remained in service until late 2001 and early 2002. At this point, they were leased to the Utah Transit Authority for extra service during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Bus 4401 has been restored, repainted into a modified "Phase III" scheme with the "Tico" logo (but without black windshield rims and a different number font) and put on display in Central Station as part of the Valley Metro historic fleet. Bus 4402 was sold to Laughlin, Nevada to operate the Silver Rider bus service. |
| GMC T8J-204 "RTS-04" | 40' | 1981 | 4301-4315? (15? buses) |
Diesel | 1999? | These buses were not delivered new to Phoenix Transit, but were acquired second-hand in 1994 from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. These buses were originally built for the Southern California Rapid Transit District and featured similar specifications to the Phoenix Transit 1981 RTS-04 buses (sealed frameless windows, first-generation flipdot signs, pantograph doors, wheelchair lifts, etc.). Inside, they featured a brown (rather than blue) interior. These buses were the first Phoenix-operated buses to be painted in the Valley Metro scheme, and were given Vultron signs. All were replaced no later than 1999. |
| GMC T8J-204 "RTS-04" | 40' | 1982 | 4538-4557 (20 buses) |
Diesel | 2002 | Originally, these buses were numbered 4416-4435, but were renumbered due to conflicts with the 1988 TMC RTS buses. These buses were all wheelchair-accessible and were very similar to the 1981 RTS buses. They also went through the same modifications as the 1981 RTS buses, but upon retirement in 2002 did not end up in Utah. Bus 4548 has been preserved as a display bus for the Phoenix Family Museum. |
| Flxible/Grumman 40102 "Metro-A" |
40' | 1983 | 4801-4867 (67 buses) |
Diesel | 1998 | These buses were some of the first Metro-A buses built, and were built with a Grumman nameplate rather than a Flxible nameplate. These buses were not wheelchair accessible, and featured first-generation flipdot signs (which were replaced with Vultron signs in the late 1980s). These buses were delivered with openable windows for about half the length of the bus. Inside, they featured a very similar interior to that of the RTS buses, but featured black (rather than cream) window dividers. None of these buses were repainted in the green and purple Valley Metro scheme. Because of the fact that they lacked wheelchair accessibility and commonality with the rest of the fleet, they were retired before the older GMC RTS-04 (and some of the RTS-03) buses. Some were sold to Tijuana, Mexico and remain in service today. |
| MAN SG-310 |
60' | 1984 | 7021-7035 (25 buses) |
Diesel | 1998 | These buses were modified versions of the earlier SG-220 buses. They were the first buses to be delivered with Vultron signs, and were delivered in the "Phase II" scheme. Externally, these buses had a narrower rear (compared to the SG-220s) and originally featured lavatories that were removed in the 1990s due to maintenance problems (they were located at the rear of the bus on the driver's side, where there is a blank space). Inside, the buses were very similar to the SG-220 buses but featured lights that were located above the advertising racks (rather than having the entire advertising rack illuminated). These buses were repainted in the "Phase III" scheme but were never repainted in the Valley Metro scheme. Because they were not wheelchair accessible, these buses were retired earlier compared to other buses, and were replaced by the NABI 40-LFWs. Because of the fact that there were no articulated buses available to replace these buses at the time, standard 40-foot buses replaced them. Until 2004, they were stored at the Veolia-Phoenix South Division and used as spare parts sources for the 1985 SG-310 buses, and bus 7035 was used as a training bus (in Phase III colors) until 2004. |
| MAN SG-310 |
60' | 1985 | 7036-7056 (21 buses) |
Diesel | 2004 | These buses were identical to the 1984 SG-310s, but featured a front wheelchair lift, which prolonged their life to 19 years. These buses were delivered in the "Phase II" scheme and were repainted both into the "Phase III" scheme and the green and purple Valley Metro scheme by 1999. These buses were mostly used on a small handful of crosstown routes, routes 12 and 15 (which had low ridership but could tie into express runs) and express routes 531-533, 540-541, and 560. Towards the end of their service, they suffered from major air conditioning problems during the summer. They were replaced by the 2004 New Flyer D60LF buses. One bus is preserved by the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at Arizona State University. |
| Orion Bus Industries 01.502 |
30' | 1987 | 2701–2710 (10 buses) |
Diesel | 2002 | These buses were some of the earliest 30-foot buses to be delivered to Phoenix. When new, they were in the "Phase II" scheme and featured Vultron signs. Their interior was very similar to that of the SG-310 buses. These buses were repainted in the "Phase III" scheme and then the green and purple Valley Metro colors. In the early 1990s some were leased to the city of Tempe but were returne in 1998, when they were placed into service on RPTA routes. This RPTA subfleet was retired in 1999. Several more buses continued in service on route 131-START until 2002, when they were replaced with ElDorado E-Z Rider buses. |
| TMC T80-206 "RTS-06" |
40' | 1988 | 4416-4433 (18 buses) |
Diesel | 2007 | These buses were the first to be painted in the Phoenix "Phase III" scheme. These buses featured framed (as opposed to frameless) windows and plug (as opposed to pantograph) doors. They featured an interior that was very similar to the 1982 RTS-04 buses but they did not feature hard seats at the rear of the bus. All of these buses were repainted into Valley Metro green and purple, and given Route Scout towards the end of their service. All were retired in 2007 after being replaced by D40LFs. |
| TMC T80-206 "RTS-06" |
40' | 1989 | 4434-4435 (2 buses) |
Diesel | 2007 | These buses were built as methanol demonstrators but were converted to diesel fuel in the 1990s. They were similar to the 1988 TMC buses but had different rear door windows, slightly different rear sides, and black side/rear walls. |
| TMC T70-206 "RTS-06" |
35' | 1989 | 3501-3515 (15 buses) |
Diesel | 2007 | These buses originally operated on Veolia-Phoenix routes. When built, they were delivered in Phoenix Transit Phase III colors. In 1994, they were leased to Tempe to form the initial fleet of the FLASH (Free Local Area SHuttle) service. In 1998, they were sent back to First Transit routes and repainted in green and purple. These buses were similar to the 1989 40-foot buses but featured softer blue seats. |
| Orion Bus Industries 02.502 |
21' | 1989 | 2000 (1 bus) |
Diesel | 1990s? | This bus was a prototype for the 1990 Orion II order. It was 4 feet shorter than the production buses and may have been used in Dial-A-Ride service as a test bus. It was retired by 1999. |
| TMC T80-206 "RTS-06" |
40' | 1990 | 4436-4475 (40 buses) |
Diesel | 2007 | These were the last TMC RTS buses built for Phoenix Transit. They were very similar to the 1989 TMC buses and featured the same type of softer seats. In 2002 these buses were rehabilitated with new seat cushions and other interior enhancements. Although the majority operated for Veolia-Phoenix, there was a subfleet that operated for First Transit. All of these buses were replaced by New Flyer D40LFs in 2007. |
| Gillig 35102 "Phantom" |
35' | 1990 | 961-967 (7 buses) |
Diesel | 2004 | This small subfleet of Gillig buses were the only Gilligs built new for Phoenix Transit. All were delivered in the "Phase III" scheme and operated for Veolia-Phoenix. In the mid-1990s they were all transferred to First Transit. These buses featured a very similar interior to that of the 1990 TMC RTS-06 buses but featured cream-colored walls. Interestingly, they were indirectly replaced by the NABI 45C-LFW buses, because the delivery of these buses to Veolia-Phoenix enabled Veolia-Phoenix to transfer D40LF buses to First Transit, which replaced the Gilligs by the summer of 2004. |
| Orion Bus Industries 02.501 |
25' | 1990 | 2001–2006 (6 buses) |
Diesel | 2001 | These buses were used to launch the DASH (Downtown Area SHuttle) service in downtown Phoenix in 1990. They were delivered with Vultron signs and an orange and purple color scheme. These buses were also the first all low-floor buses in Phoenix service. All were replaced by E-Z Rider buses in November 2001. |
| Gillig 40096 "Phantom" |
40' | 1991 | 250-263 (14 buses) |
Diesel | 2006 | In 2005, following an Arizona State University program to give all students and staff free bus passes, as well as the unsuitability of the 1994 ElDorado National Transmark buses to handle increased ridership, Valley Metro leased 14 buses from Foothill Transit of West Covina, California until the C40LFR buses were delivered in 2006. These buses retained their Foothill Transit numbers (without the "F" prefix) and were painted all white with a Valley Metro logo. These buses did not have functioning destination signs (because they were programmed for Foothill Transit rather than Valley Metro routes) so a makeshift sign using a small yellow card was used. These buses had front wheelchair lifts and non-tinted windows. Inside, they had a "semi-suburban" interior with highback non-reclining soft seating, individual reading lights and air vents, but no luggage racks. They also had cream and gray walls. Despite their semi-suburban interior, these buses were mostly used on Veolia-RPTA local routes. All were retired in 2006 and sent back to Foothill Transit, who retired them. |
| Orion Bus Industries 02.501 |
25' | 1992 | 2007–2008 (2 buses) |
Diesel | 2001 | These buses were used for the expansion of DASH service to the State Capitol. They were nearly identical to the 1990 Orion II buses and were retired in 2001. |
| Gillig 40102 "Phantom" |
40' | 1992 | 3010 (1 bus) |
Diesel | 1998 | This bus was a prototype Gillig bus that was used to determine whether Valley Metro wanted to purchase a new order of Gillig buses. It was delivered in 1992 and originally painted in Phoenix Transit colors before being repainted in Valley Metro colors by 1993. This bus featured Vultron signs, blue flooring, blue and black hard seats, and gray and cream walls. This bus was operated for the RPTA until it was replaced in 1998. It was retained as a training bus before being sold off in 2005. |
| Neoplan USA AN440LF |
40' | 1993 | 4001 (1 bus) |
Diesel | 1998 | This bus was the first delivered in the then-new Valley Metro green and purple colors, and was also the first 40-foot low-floor bus in the Phoenix area (and all of Arizona). It originally had specifications that were very similar to the 1994 New Flyer D40LFs, but had a ramp (rather than steps) connecting the high-floor section of the bus to the low-floor section of the bus. This bus was used as a prototype to determine what buses Valley Metro would order. After Valley Metro ordered D40LFs, this bus was operated in regular service for Veolia-RPTA until 1998, when it was turned into an employee shuttle bus and training bus. It was sold off in 2005. |
| New Flyer D40LF |
40' | 1994 | 4002-4072 | Diesel | 2009 | All of these buses were originally operated by Veolia-Phoenix. In 1999 and 2002, buses 4002-4039 were transferred to Veolia-RPTA and 4040-4072 were transferred to First Transit. In 2007 most of these buses were retired due to air conditioning issues, but around 15 buses continued to operate for Veolia-RPTA. Some of these buses were used by Veolia-RPTA until 2009 while the Phoenix fleet was retired in 2007. Buses 4007 and 4015 were repainted in the 2006 colors in 2007 and were retained as training buses. Some of these buses have been sold to CitySights NY and converted into open-top double-decker sightseeing buses. As of 2009, the RPTA-operated buses have been retired and replaced by the 2009 New Flyer C40LFR order. |
| TMC T80-206 "RTS-06" |
40' | 1994 | 6481-6483 (3 buses) |
Diesel | 2007 | These buses were leased in early 2007 from Omnitrans of San Bernardino, California to fill in for RTS buses that had broken down and were unable to be repaired. They operated First Transit routes and operated from January 2007 until May 2007. They were painted all white and had signs that were retrofitted from D40LF buses. Inside, they featured blue floors and hard seats, as well as cream-colored walls. They featured Route Scout because Omnitrans had it installed on their buses. Rear doors were pantograph-style and all windows were openable. |
| ElDorado National Transmark RE-32 |
35' | 1994 | 2301–2325 (25 buses) |
CNG | 2005 | These buses were built for the city of Mesa to replace Mesa Sunrunner buses. They featured Luminator Mega:MAX destination signs and the green and purple Valley Metro livery. Inside, these buses featured soft seats and a similar interior to the 1994 New Flyer D40LF buses. In 2005, following the combination of Veolia-Mesa with Veolia-RPTA, it was determined that it would be more cost-efficient to retire these buses early and replace them with leased Gillig Phantom buses. |
| Orion Bus Industries 02.501 |
25' | 1994 | 2009–2014 (6 buses) |
Diesel | 1998 | These buses were some of the first CNG-powered buses in Phoenix, and were also the first buses purchased new by the city of Tempe. They featured Vultron signs and were quite similar to the 1992 Orion 02.501s with the exception of seat colors. These buses operated in FLASH service until 1998, when they were replaced with 40-LFW buses. Two buses were withdrawn in 1996 and sold to OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario. |
| ElDorado National Transmark RE-32 |
35' | 1995 | 2326–2329 (4 buses) |
CNG | 2002 | These buses were ordered for the RPTA and operated with Veolia-RPTA. Most of the time they operated routes around the city of Scottsdale. They were withdrawn from service in 2002 after a division reorganization. |
| ElDorado National Transmark RE-32 |
35' | 1995 | 2330 (1 bus) |
CNG | 2002 | This bus was built for Scottsdale Connection. Originally, it featured a white and gray livery but in the late-1990s was wrapped into a color scheme that was designed by students from local schools. Inside this bus featured blue hard seats. Following the amalgamation of Scottsdale Connection into Valley Metro, this bus was withdrawn from service. |
| Blue Bird Corporation CSFE |
30' | 1996 | 2501–2506 (6 buses) |
Diesel | 2002 | These buses were built for Scottsdale Connection. They were high-floor and featured a rear wheelchair lift. Inside, they featured blue hard seats. Following the integration of Scottsdale Connection into Valley Metro in 2002, these buses were withdrawn from service due to their lack of commonality with the rest of the fleet. They were sold to the University of Arizona because they could not be retired from service. |
| Gillig 40102 "Phantom" |
40' | 1996 | 9108-9110 (3 buses) |
Diesel | 2006 | These buses were also leased along with Foothill Transit Gilligs to handle Arizona State University-related ridership increases, as well as the condition of the ElDorado Transmark buses. These buses were leased from Hertz Corporation where they formerly operated airport rental car shuttles around Los Angeles International Airport. Some of these buses had a black window line and white below, but another was painted all white with the Valley Metro logo. Because these buses were built for rental car shuttle service, they were unique compared to regular transit buses. They had no destination signs at all, and had a wide rear door to fit luggage. They had small "Hertz" signs that remained with the buses but were covered up to signify that Valley Metro was leasing the buses. Inside, they featured black carpeted floors, a front wheelchair lift, and all lengthwise (except for the rear) soft black and yellow seating. Originally, these buses featured luggage racks but they were removed and replaced with a wheelchair position. These buses also featured cream and black carpeted walls, as well as no stop request system (although they did feature an interior LED sign that did not function). As a result, a "conductor" also operated these buses to help passengers get off the bus. Ad racks were carpeted and these buses also featured yellow lighting. Some of these buses received new seats and flooring, but the others retained their Hertz configuration until withdrawal in 2006. |
| New Flyer D40LF |
40' | 1996 | 3701-3729 (29 buses) |
Diesel | 2008 | These buses were similar to the 1994 D40LFs. Originally, all were operated by Veolia-Phoenix, but were transferred to First Transit from 1999-2004. 3727 was built as an L40LF LNG test bed, but was converted to diesel after being transferred to Veolia-RPTA. It was retired in 2006, and some of the others have been retired early despite the FTA 12-year minimum. All others were retired after 20 D60LFs were delivered to Veolia-Phoenix, allowing for the former to transfer buses over to First Transit to replace the 1996 D40LFs. |
| Nova Bus RTWFD82 |
40' | 1997 | 6461-6480 (20 buses) |
Diesel | 2012 | These buses were purchased from Golden Gate Transit in California in January 2006. They had 1 door and full highback, reclining suburban seating with reading lights and luggage racks. These buses operated routes 511, 531-533, 535-536, 540-542, and 571. In extremely rare occasions, they appeared in lightly patronized local service. Originally, they were numbered 1311-1330, but were renumbered due to conflict with Dial-A-Ride vehicles in the 1300 series. As of December 2012, all of these buses have been retired. |
| ElDorado National E-Z Rider |
30' | 1998 | 4101-4120 (20 buses) |
LNG | 2011 | Originally, these buses were painted in BOLT colors but were repainted in 2002. They had Luminator MAX 3000 flip-dot/LED signs that were replaced with Luminator Horizon signs in 2007. These buses also had lights mounted on top of the advertising racks, but had no advertisements. As of August 2011, these buses have been retired and sold. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1998 | 6157-6163 (7 buses) |
LNG | 2012 | From 1998 until 2008, all of these buses operated with Veolia-RPTA, mostly during rush hours. Along with route 81, most of these buses were transferred to Veolia-Tempe in December 2008, although the RPTA still owned the buses. They were identical to 6001-6156 but did not have advertisements. These buses were retired in 2012. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1998 | 6164-6172 (9 buses) |
LNG | 2013 | These buses were the first to be purchased by the city of Tempe, and were delivered in Valley Metro colors (as opposed to the BOLT scheme). They were built to the same specifications as 6001-6156 but without advertisements. In 2007, they had their Luminator MAX 3000 flip-dot/LED signs replaced with Luminator Horizon signs. Bus 6165 had been repainted in the 2006 colors. As of January 2013, all of these buses have been retired. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1998 | 6173-6180 (9 buses) |
LNG | 2013 | These buses were built for the FLASH (Free Local Area Shuttle) service serving downtown Tempe and ASU and were originally painted in the maroon and white FLASH scheme. They had soft seats, a wheelchair sign, and no driver's side route sign. In 2007 their LEDot signs were replaced with Luminator Horizon signs. Buses 6173-6176 and 6178-6179 were repainted in the 2006 colors and given fareboxes in August 2007. These buses were traded with 1998 NABI 35-LFW buses 6184-6188 to increase capacity on local routes and decrease capacity on FLASH routes. As of January 2013, all of these buses have been retired. |
| NABI 35-LFW |
35' | 1998 | 6181-6195 (15 buses) |
LNG | 2014 | These buses were owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They had similar specifications to 6173-6180 and had Luminator Horizon signs. Bus 6181 was originally built as the "FLASH Lite on Mill" bus and remained in FLASH colors until 2006, when it was repainted as the "Tempe in Motion 10th Anniversary" bus, and wore handprints until 2007. This bus operated FLASH service except during the summer of 2007, when it operated local service. Buses 6182-6187 were always painted in Valley Metro colors and were leased to the RPTA until 2000, when they were returned to Tempe. Buses 6188-6195 were painted in "BOLT" colors until 2002, when BOLT was integrated into Valley Metro. Buses 6182-6183 were repainted into FLASH colors in 2005. Buses 6184-6188 had no farebox and operated FLASH service, although 6184-6186 and 6188 were in the old Valley Metro colors. 6187 was repainted into the green FLASH colors in 2007. These buses have been retired as of March 2014. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1998 | 6001-6156 (156 buses) |
LNG | 2016 | These buses were the first LNG-powered production buses in Phoenix. Buses 6001-6029 had different number fonts and speaker locations, while buses 6030-6156 had "standard" speaker locations. Bus 6001 had a wheelchair sign but it was removed, bus 6002 had a wheelchair sign, and bus 6003 had space for a wheelchair sign but it was never installed. Buses 6071-6085 were leased to the RPTA from 2005 until 2006. Buses 6141-6156 had all lengthwise seating. In 2006, these buses have been rehabilitated with the 2006 paint scheme, new Luminator MAX 3000 flip-dot/LED signs, new seat cushions, and new windows. These buses have been retired as of October 2016 and have been replaced by the 2016 Gillig Low Floor CNG buses. |
| ElDorado National Aerotech |
25' | 1999 | 861-864 (4 buses) |
Gasoline | 2005 | These buses were originally purchased by the city of Mesa but were transferred to Neighborhood FLASH (now ORBIT) service in 2001. They were painted in the standard Valley Metro green and purple color scheme, and had soft gray seats. |
| ElDorado National E-Z Rider |
30' | 1999 | 4121-4145 (25 buses) |
LNG | 2011 | These buses were similar to the 1998 E-Z Rider buses, but were built with TwinVision LEDot signs, no wheelchair sign, two wheelchair ramps, and lights mounted on the bottom of the advertising racks. Buses 4121-4131 were originally painted in BOLT colors but were repainted in 2002. Buses 4132-4145 were leased to the RPTA and were gradually returned between 2002 and 2006. Bus 4129 retained its TwinVision LEDot sign and bus 4132 was in the 2006 colors. As of August 2011, these buses have been retired and sold. |
| NABI 35-LFW |
35' | 1999 | 6196-6210 (15 buses) |
LNG | 2014 | These buses were owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They were similar to the 1998 35-LFWs, but were built with Twin Vision LEDot signs, which were replaced by Luminator Horizon signs, and green tinted windows rather than brown tinted windows. All of these buses were originally in BOLT colors but were repainted in 2002. These buses have been retired as of March 2014. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1999 | 6246-6254 (9 buses) |
LNG | 2012 | These buses were similar to the Veolia-Phoenix 1999 40-LFW buses, but had no advertisements and had new seat cushions of a different type than found on the Phoenix buses. Bus 6247 was repainted in the 2006 colors, but with smaller titles and other different details. These buses originally operated for Veolia-RPTA, but were transferred to Veolia-Tempe when Tempe took over operations for routes 72 and 81, although the RPTA still owned the buses. These buses have been retired as of February 2012. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 1999 | 6255 (1 bus) |
LNG | 2012 | This one-of-a-kind bus was owned by the city of Scottsdale and was operated by Veolia-Tempe because Tempe provides all intra-Scottsdale bus service. It was different from the other 1999 40-LFW buses in that it had no driver's side LED sign, had a small LED "runbox" by the front door, had a different seating configuration in the "high floor" section of the bus, and soft seats. This bus did not have functioning signs. Retired in 2012. |
| ElDorado National MST |
30' | 2000 | 2401–2406 (6 buses) |
CNG | 2006 | These buses were purchased by the city of Mesa and in 2005 were retained by Veolia-RPTA. They featured Luminator MAX 3000 flip-dot/LED signs on the front, passenger side, and rear of the buses. They were high floor and inside featured thin shell seats, gray walls, and "wrapped" windows. These buses were also retrofitted with Route Scout. After Veolia-RPTA took over their operation, they were used mostly during rush hours only, especially on route 30-University. They were replaced indirectly by NABI 60-BRT buses. |
| ElDorado National E-Z Rider |
30' | 2000 | 4146-4154 (9 buses) |
LNG | 2011 | These buses were owned by the city of Scottsdale. They differed from the 1999 E-Z Rider buses in that they were built with Luminator MAX 3000 flip-dot/LED signs (including a driver's side route sign), a single wheelchair ramp, an extra seat, a black carpeted rear wall, and a gray (rather than white) driver's area. Bus 4146 was formerly a "Poetry in Motion" bus and was repainted in the new Valley Metro colors. This bus was transferred over to Veolia-Tempe in April 2009. Buses 4147-4149 were operated by Veolia-RPTA and rarely saw service in Scottsdale itself. Buses 4150-4154 were operated by Veolia-Tempe and tended to service routes 66, 76, 84, and 114 because those routes also served the city of Scottsdale. Buses 4153-4154 had their LEDot signs replaced with Luminator Horizon signs. As of August 2011, these buses have been retired and sold. |
| NABI 35-LFW |
35' | 2000 | 6256-6261 (6 buses) |
LNG | 2012 | These buses were owned by the city of Scottsdale and were originally operated by Veolia-RPTA. Ironically, they were rarely used in Scottsdale and instead mostly operated routes in Mesa until December 2008, when some of them were transferred over to Veolia-Tempe, which also provides service for Scottsdale. They were similar to bus 6255 but had a different seating configuration in the low-floor section compared to 6255. All of these buses have been retired by February 2012 |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2001 | 1318–1324 (7 buses) |
Gasoline | 2004 | These buses were purchased by the city of Phoenix to start the ALEX (Ahwatukee Local EXplorer) service. They were wrapped and had a blue livery. Inside they featured soft seats and no Route Scout. They were replaced by the 2004 StarTrans buses. |
| ElDorado National E-Z Rider |
30' | 2001 | 4155-4163 (9 buses) |
LNG | 2012 | These buses were owned by the city of Scottsdale. Like 4146-4149, they originally rarely saw service in Scottsdale itself. These buses were nearly identical to 4146-4154, but had ceiling-mounted "Step Up/Step Down" signs. Bus 4163 was formerly a Scottsdale "Poetry in Motion" bus but was repainted in late 2008 due to the poor condition of the color scheme. Bus 4163 was transferred to Veolia-Tempe in April 2009. During their final years of operation, these buses operated for the Scottsdale Trolley in a trolley wrap. As of December 2012, these buses have been retired. Their interim replacement was several NABI 40-LFW CNG buses on lease from the RPTA, which remained in service with the Scottsdale Trolley until the delivery of the Gillig Low Floor and Trolley Replica buses in late 2013. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 2001 | 6262-6281 (20 buses) |
CNG | 2014 | From 2001-2005, these buses were owned by the city of Mesa and were operated by Veolia-Mesa until that division was merged into that of Veolia-RPTA, transferring ownership of these buses to the RPTA. They were the first NABI buses to be powered by CNG and had a CNG tank on the roof. As a result, their A/C unit has been relocated from the rooftop to the rear of the bus. These buses were also the first to feature TwinVision Amber LED signs. Inside, they were similar to 40-LFW buses 6211-6254 except for an A/C vent on the rear wall and welded walls (as opposed to screwed-in walls). These buses had their seat cushions replaced. In December 2012, 6265, 6269, 6277, 6278, and 6280 were transferred to Ollie the Trolley for the Scottsdale Trolley as a temporary replacement for the ElDorado E-Z Rider fleet until the delivery of the Gillig buses in 2013, due to the poor condition of the E-Z Rider fleet. The Scottsdale-operated buses have been retired as of late January 2014, followed by the RPTA-operated buses in March 2014. |
| ElDorado National E-Z Rider II |
30' | 2001 | 4164-4172 (9 buses) |
LNG | 2015 | These buses were originally built for the Copper Square DASH (Downtown Area SHuttle) service in Downtown Phoenix, and were originally painted with a copper and black color scheme. During the first Friday of each month, these buses used to operate the Artlink First Friday service around the trendy Roosevelt Row district of downtown Phoenix (although service by Roosevelt Row became permanent July 28, new FTA regulations halted the use of these buses in private shuttle service). These buses feature TwinVision Amber LED signs, new blue tinted windows, and a rear wheelchair sign (but no driver side sign). Inside they feature the same hard seats as the 1998 Phoenix-operated 40-LFW buses, as well as smooth (as opposed to glossy) ceilings. These buses were rehabbed and repainted into a blue-green scheme (along with new windows and seat cushions) in 2008. These buses were reassigned to the West (First Transit) division in January 2013 for the 19th Avenue Connector shuttle. However, in 2014, some of these buses were sent back to the Transdev-Phoenix South Division to reintroduce larger buses on the DASH circulator. These buses have been retired as of 2015, since the DASH is now operated using 40-foot buses and the 19th Avenue Connector is no longer in service. |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2002 | 1331 (1 bus) |
Gasoline | 2007 | This bus was purchased as a supplement in 2002 to operate ALEX service. It was identical to the 2001 StarTrans buses except for a different rear door. It was retired in 2007. |
| ElDorado National E-Z Rider II |
30' | 2002 | 4173-4175 (3 buses) |
LNG | 2012 | These buses almost always operated on Route 131-START, and were owned by the RPTA until 2005 when the service was taken over by Phoenix. On rare occasions, they occasionally substituted for DASH (and in the past, First Friday) shuttles. They were identical to 4164-4172 except that they were painted in the green and purple Valley Metro color scheme and also had fareboxes. Retired in 2012. |
| NABI 40-LFW |
40' | 2002 | 6378-6381 (4 buses) |
LNG | 2014 | These buses were owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They were the most recent 40-LFW buses built for Valley Metro. These buses were delivered in the green and purple Valley Metro colors as opposed to the BOLT colors, but still had a BOLT interior. These buses were originally built with TwinVision Amber LED signs but they were replaced with Luminator Horizon signs in 2007. They had no advertisements both on the exterior and interior. Windows were much less tinted than those of the 2002 Phoenix-operated 40-LFW buses. Inside they were similar to buses 6173-6180, but had glossy light gray side walls (below the window line) and a glossy light gray rear wall, as well as different number font. Bus 6379 was repainted in the 2006 colors. These buses have been retired as of 2014. |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2003 | 1332–1340 (9 buses) |
Gasoline | 2007 | These buses were purchased for Neighborhood FLASH service. They were painted all white with a small Neighborhood FLASH logo and had no destination signs. Inside they had soft seats arranged around the perimeter of the bus. They were replaced in 2007. |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2004 | 1341–1347 (7 buses) |
Gasoline | 2007 | These buses were purchased to replace buses 1318-1324 and operated on the ALEX service. They featured a new paint scheme, no rollsigns, thin gray seats, and Route Scout. They were replaced in 2007. |
| StarTrans Replica Trolley | 30' | 2004 | 5001-5007 (7 buses) |
Bio-Diesel | 2014 | These buses were owned by the city of Scottsdale and operated the Scottsdale Trolley route around downtown Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Neighborhood Circulator around south Scottsdale. On occasion, they operated express service to various resorts in Scottsdale. They did not have Route Scout and had a wooden interior. These trolleys were built on a Freightliner XB-S chassis. As of March 2014, these buses have been retired. |
| NABI 45C-LFW |
45' | 2004 | 7157-7164 (8 buses) |
LNG | 2016 | These buses were owned by the City of Tempe and operated for Veolia-Tempe until July 1, 2013 when the City of Tempe unified its bus operations with the RPTA. They were painted in the green and purple Valley Metro colors (as opposed to the RAPID colors as on 7101-7156). On very rare occasions outside of rush hours, these buses operated in Tempe local service. These buses had opening tinted windows, different highback reclining seats without headrests, light gray interiors, personal reading lights and air vents, and luggage racks. These buses have been retired as of September 2016. |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2005 | 1399–1402 (4 buses) |
Gasoline | 2007 | These buses were purchased for Neighborhood FLASH service. They were identical to the 2003 StarTrans buses but had a larger "Stop Requested" sign and larger wheelchair lift door windows. They were withdrawn from service in 2007. |
| StarTrans Senator SII |
25' | 2005 | Unknown | Gasoline | 2007 | These buses were used to launch route 685-Gila Bend Regional Connector service. They were replaced in late 2007 by larger ElDorado National Aero Elite vehicles. |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2005 | Unknown | Diesel | 2013 | These buses were former East Valley Dial-A-Ride vehicles, and served the Downtown Mesa BUZZ neighborhood circulator route from when the route began service in 2008 until they were retired in December 2013 and replaced by Starcraft Allstar buses. |
| ElDorado National Aerotech |
25' | 2005 | Unknown | Diesel | 2013 | These buses were former Maricopa County Special Transportation Services vehicles, which were purchased by the RPTA to increase service on the Downtown Mesa BUZZ neighborhood circulator. These buses have been retired as of December 2013. |
| StarTrans Senator |
25' | 2006 | 1406-1407 (2 buses) |
Gasoline | 2011 | These buses were used to launch route 660-Wickenburg Regional Connector service. They were retired in 2011 when the route was discontinued due to low ridership. |
| ElDorado National Aero Elite | 30' | 2007 | Unknown | Diesel | 2010 | These buses entered service on December 10, 2007. They operated route 685-Gila Bend Regional Connector service until they were replaced in 2010 with ElDorado Passport vehicles. These buses are now owned by Ajo Transportation and now operates Sun Tran Route 486 from Ajo to Tucson. |
| ElDorado National Aerotech | 25' | 2007 | 1421–1460 (40 buses) |
Gasoline | 2013 | These buses were owned by the City of Tempe and operated the Tempe ORBIT circulator service until July 2013 when they were replaced by Starcraft Bus Allstar CNG buses. They had Freedman Seating soft mid-rise lengthwise gray seats, and did not have Route Scout nor a "Stop Requested" sign. Bus 1434 collided with a light rail train on February 10, 2009. |
| ElDorado National Aerotech |
25' | 2008 | Unknown | Diesel | 2014 | These buses were former East Valley Dial-a-Ride vehicles, and from 2012 to 2014 they operated the Avondale Zoom neighborhood circulator route. They were replaced in 2014 by larger ElDorado National Aero Elite buses. |
| ElDorado National Aerotech | 25' | 2008 | 1521, 1529 (2 buses) |
Bio-Diesel | 2014 | These buses were former East Valley Dial-a-Ride vehicles, which were leased to City of Tempe by the RPTA for use on the ORBIT. Since these buses were originally used for Dial-A-Ride service, they did not have any destination signs. Other differences from 1421-1460 included the lack of a rear emergency door (instead featuring an emergency exit window), forward facing seating, and a diesel engine instead of gasoline. These buses have been retired as of March 2014. |
| New Flyer MiDi 30' | 30' | 2013 | T101 (1 bus) |
Diesel | 2013 | This bus was a demonstrator owned by New Flyer that was leased by the City of Tempe for a potential future order to introduce larger buses to the Tempe ORBIT neighborhood circulator service. This bus entered service on July 22, 2013 and remained in service for evaluation until December 2013. This bus was not equipped with a bike rack. This bus has since been returned to New Flyer as of December 2013. |
References
- ↑ "Japanese Firm Tapped for Light-Rail Cars". Arizona Republic. 2003-11-21.
- ↑
- ↑ "New buses hit Phoenix streets". March 29, 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- ↑ Jay Toll, Eric (30 March 2016). "New city of Phoenix buses". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ↑ "Valley Metro on Twitter - "Brand new @PhoenixMetroBus makes a stop at..."". Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ↑ "Valley Metro Management Committee Packet" (PDF). 1 June 2016. p. 42. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
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