City/DoD Strike BRAC-133 Deal

[Tristan]

Guys, I have sinned.  I never mentioned that our GM found six of our retired 1996 Gillig Phantoms at an auction house in Laurel last month.  They had never gone on the block for some reason, meaning that they were still property of the City of Alexandria.

Happens we were exploring options for procuring vehicles for our BRAC-133 (Mark Center) expansion, due in September...obviously, purchasing new buses wouldn't have worked, so we talked of leases, scooping up old vehicles, then stumbled across our own seniors.

So they were brought back to DASH property, and the City has approved funding to refurbish four of them in Canada.  I am hoping to see them when I am in Toronto in March.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/virginia/2011/01/alexandria-pentagon-weighing-mark-center-buses?utm_source=feedburner+dcexaminer/Local&utm_medium=feed+Washington+Examiner's+DC-area+news&utm_campaign=Feed:+dcexaminer/Local+(Washington+Examiner's+DC-area+news)feed&utm_content=feed&utm_term=feed

[Tristan]

This is the company that is rebuilding them.  I wonder whose bus that is on the homepage? :-)

http://www.m-t-b.com/

[Tritransit Area]

*raises eyebrow*  New scheme for the express buses?  Quite cool!  The 1996 Gilligs have/had LED signs too, right?  I can't wait to photograph them if possible...

[Tristan]

Those buses were upgraded to LED signs in 2001 from the original classic Gillig man-sized rollsigns.  Thankfully we held onto them for spare parts and never had to use them, so they're going back in.

They're actually here picking the buses up right now via flatbed.

[Tritransit Area]

Oops, I forgot about the LED retrofit...and the fact these buses actually had roll signs!  Are these buses going to have comfy seating as well?

Canada...interesting!  Also, I find it interesting that the Fairfax retired some Orion Vs but still kept their older RTSs around!