Seattle Orders 500 Orion VII's

[mrpete]

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2009/08/Daimler-receives-KC-Metro-hybrid-order.aspx

You may also be aware that Seattle is receiving 36 NFI DE60LF-BRT's for it's RapidRide service due to debut next year (2010). The prototype, fleet #6000 has been delivered. In addition to the brand name RapidRide's colors are red and yellow.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/MetroTransit/TransitNow/RapidRide.aspx#renderings

[C40LF_2464]

I saw a picture of the DE60LFA they are receiving.  but why put a rear window on it? Same thing WMATA did with there D40LFR's which i say is a huge mistake.

[WES]

Seattle also put rear windows in their Gillig Phantoms, which looks weird also.  Probably the only reason why they didn't put a rear window in their DE60LFs was because they needed an HVAC in the rear.  Someone verify that for me, because those were the only Seattle buses without a rear window.

[WayneNYC]

Wes,

Their D40LF aslo didn't have rear windows.
 

[79MetroExtraMD]

I saw a picture of the DE60LFA they are receiving.  but why put a rear window on it? Same thing WMATA did with there D40LFR's which i say is a huge mistake.

A mistake how? Metro ordered them with rooftop HVAC units which are better than the belt driven ones. The belt-driven ones take away horsepower from the engine to run the air compressor. Also, I've noticed most orders of the DE60s now come with rooftop HVACs standard. Chicago's DE60LFs, except for 4001, came with rooftop HVACs.

[WES]

Wes,

Their D40LF aslo didn't have rear windows.
 

Oh forgot those.  That's what happens when you don't go to  Seattle.....or Hawaii........or San Francisco......or San Diego........or LA.  I went to Chica.......I don't want to talk about that now, too many bad memories.

[WayneNYC]

Wes, you're funny.  I'm sure I don't hold the title for visiting the most cities though.  I think at least 3 DCATZ regulars have me beat, especially our friend who, in additional to several North American cities, has seeming nearly every European city covered:-).

[daimlerbuses]

Might as well post this here:

Daimler Buses North America Receives Major Orders for Hybrid and Diesel Buses

Greensboro, N.C. (August 7, 2009) – Daimler Buses North America is excited to announce the initial order of up to 500 diesel-electric hybrid buses, with options for up to 200 buses, from King County Metro in Seattle, WA. The base, first year order is for 93 hybrid units. This order comes as Daimler Buses – a full-line manufacturer of transit buses, motorcoaches and shuttle buses – also announces orders totaling 225 Orion VII transit buses, 30 Setra S 417 motorcoaches and 15 Sprinter shuttle buses.
   
"We are pleased seeing repeat orders and also seeing new customers joining the Daimler family in our latest wave of bus orders," said Patrick Scully, chief commercial officer for Daimler Buses North America. "We provide a unique advantage for customers by providing a diverse full-line product portfolio that allows customers to work with one, solid company."

The order of Orion VII diesel-electric hybrids from King County of Seattle represents a city dedicated to cleaner public transit solutions. The first year order of hybrid buses will be delivered to Seattle beginning in mid-2010. Other hybrid orders this month includes an order for 80 hybrid buses to OC Transpo, the urban transit service for the City of Ottawa, Canada. This will bring Ottawa's hybrid fleet to 177 Orion buses, making them the third largest hybrid fleet in Canada. Roosevelt Island, N.Y. has ordered one additional hybrid bus as well.

Daimler Buses North America is the world's leading producer of diesel-electric hybrid transit buses. With these latest orders, Daimler Buses will have a total of more than 2,900 units in revenue service or on order for various transit authorities throughout the U.S. and Canada – making it the largest hybrid provider worldwide.

"Daimler remains committed to promoting clean drive technologies which will shape future transportation," said Andreas Strecker, President and CEO of Daimler Buses North America. "These additional orders for the Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid bus further maintain Daimler's position as the world's hybrid bus leader – a position that we intend to retain through product excellence and continued innovative firsts."

Additional orders for the Orion VII transit bus were also received as follows. 75 Orion VII clean-diesel buses were ordered by Veolia Transportation for its service for the New Orleans Transit Authority (RTA). Veolia and RTA's fleet is currently 70-percent Orion or Sprinter shuttles, another product of Daimler Buses. In San Francisco, CA, Veolia Transportation has ordered 30 Setra S 417 motorcoaches and 15 Sprinter shuttle buses.
   
Suffolk County of New York has ordered 55 Orion VII clean-diesel buses in varying lengths and requested an additional 28 transit buses pending ARRA funding. These buses will be delivered in 2010.

The University of Oklahoma's Transportation Services, CART (Cleveland Area Rapid Transit) has ordered five Orion VII Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses. The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation of North Carolina (PART) has ordered an additional five Orion VII clean-diesel buses as well. Saint John Transit Commission in Canada has ordered three Orion VII clean-diesel transit buses and Sault Ste. Marie, Canada has ordered an additional Orion VII clean-diesel bus to its existing order.

Daimler Buses continues to operate with a full order board for 2009. These buses will be produced in 2010 and beyond.

[79MetroExtraMD]

I wonder how BAE's HybriDrive system fairs compared to the Allison system. Chicago tested ISEs Thundervolt and Allison and stuck with Allison.

[metroman177]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Seattle Gilligs and some of the NF artics do not have A/C's thus the back window. However the Sound Transit Gilligs have A/Cs.