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| Re: New Orleans Regional Transit Authority now has 35 foot Bio-diesel Orion VII NG buses (105836) | |||
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Re: New Orleans Regional Transit Authority now has 35 foot Bio-diesel Orion VII NG buses |
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Posted by Jonesy! on Wed Jul 9 20:21:59 2008, in response to New Orleans Regional Transit Authority now has 35 foot Bio-diesel Orion VII NG buses, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Jul 9 18:34:40 2008. Heres more:Just in time for an increased demand for public transportation and fuel economy, eight brand spanking new, biodiesel buses will start picking up passengers in New Orleans Thursday. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed more than half of the city's 370 buses, the Regional Transit Authority purchased 39 buses at a cost of $15 million. At a news conference on Read Boulevard in eastern New Orleans today, RTA and officials celebrated the arrival of the buses, which are equipped to use cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel. The vehicles were built by the Orion bus company based in Ontario, Canada. At 35 feet long, the bus is smaller than the standard RTA coach. Currently, 29 of the buses are in the New Orleans area, with 10 more arriving from New York in the next few months. The release of the brand new buses comes at a time of increased reliance on the RTA - from April and May of 2007 to April and May of this year, there has been a 53% increase in ridership, RTA spokesperson Rosalind Cook said. Many of the new riders have been using public transportation in light of rising gas prices, Cook said. "I've had people call me asking for route directions and how to use the system. They say that they're turning to public transit to save some gas money," she said. The RTA will gradually put all of the buses on the streets by the end of the summer, with six more rolling out by Monday. The new buses will be more comfortable than most of the older buses, which are more than 10 years old, Cook said. Lower floors and a newer handicapped ramp for those with disabilities will make boarding the bus easier for all riders, she said. |
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