New Flyer Industries Inc. (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), a manufacturer of heavy-duty transit vehicles in Canada and the United States, announced that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will test 20 new diesel-electric hybrid buses next year that should reduce fuel expenses. The hybrid vehicle purchases are part of a larger $95 million order the CTA placed with New Flyer Industries for 265 buses. Those vehicles will replace existing 5300 Series Flxible buses that were purchased in 1991.
The CTA will pay about $530,000 for each hybrid, compared with $341,000 for a conventional bus. The CTA placed a relatively small order for hybrids so it could see how they perform in Chicago's extreme weather conditions. However, the CTA also wants to determine if the buses can reduce operational expenses enough to justify buying more.
