The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) looks to a brighter year ahead with the upcoming arrival of 15 new Gillig buses, four of which are designed to promote a cleaner environment.

“We are pleased to be among the beneficiaries of President Obama’s Stimulus funding and excited for the arrival of the new buses,” said WRTA Administrator Stephen O’Neil. “This is just the kind of momentum we need in order to take the WRTA into the future.”

The buses, which are earmarked to replace older models in the WRTA’s fleet, are fully-funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The WRTA will see 10 new 40-foot buses and five new 30-foot buses. Two of the 40-foot and two of the 30-foot buses are hybrids.

“I am very pleased with this use of federal stimulus funding.  These new buses will lower fuel costs for the WRTA, will be more convenient for riders, and will be better for the environment.  I look forward to seeing them in action,” said U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern, D-Worcester.

According to John Carney, general manager of RTA Transit Services Inc, the new buses have been met with positive feedback both on and off the road.

“We’ve been really satisfied with the eight Gillig buses that were purchased last year. Overall our drivers and mechanics have found these buses to be superior in both performance and service,” Carney said.

“Our fleet is aging, and we need to bring it up to speed in order to meet the demands of our riders. We are very pleased to bring four new hybrids to Worcester, which will provide for a much more environmentally-friendly and more fuel-efficient operation.

The hybrid buses boast anywhere from a 25 to 40 percent fuel advantage over the current WRTA diesel buses,” O’Neil said.

“Some of our current fleet went on the road in March 1996, and after 14 years of service, it was time to replace them. The new Gilligs are more rider-friendly, particularly for the elderly and our riders who find stairs a challenge. The hybrid buses are much more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. Our entire fleet of Nova buses will be replaced with the low floor Gilligs in the next 3-5 years,” said Bill Lehtola, vice chairman WRTA Advisory Board and a representative for the town of Spencer.

“Bringing the new buses to the community means much more than replacing needed vehicles; they are symbolic of a service that has gone from near extinction to an efficient, cost-effective, and a new forward thinking system of public transportation,” said Doug Belanger, Leicester Selectman and WRTA Advisory Board Member.

“In the past few years WRTA communities went through the pains of change, and we are now beginning to reap the benefits of that thoughtful reorganization. The hybrids in particular reflect the refreshing, optimistic outlook of the WRTA Administration, employees, and community representatives,” Belanger continued.

All of the new buses will be equipped with some standard features such as:

• Low floor, one step entry for all passengers
• Automated wheelchair ramp with manual overrides will replace the failure prone lifts (This should eliminate all lift related road calls).
• Engines will meet the EPA 2007 emissions standards for diesel buses (a level that at one time could only be met with natural gas-powered buses).
• Comfortable padded interior passenger seating
• Seamless, low maintenance flooring
• Environmentally-friendly LED interior lighting will come with a lifetime guarantee. This replaces standard fluorescent interior bulbs that have to be treated as hazardous waste when they are disposed of.
• State-of-the-art electronic control and monitoring system will eliminate miles of wiring harnesses, simplify mechanical diagnostics and allow a mechanic to perform and automatically record a safety inspection by holding a handheld computer from a stationary position in close proximity of the bus.
• Engine compartment fire detection and suppression system

With the city of Worcester looking to significantly reduce its emissions in 2010, these buses come as welcome news to city officials.

The new buses will not only be in service in Worcester, they will also travel to all the fixed route towns the WRTA services. This includes the towns of Auburn, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Leicester, Millbury, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Spencer, Webster, West Boylston and Worcester.

“We are pleased to have the ability to upgrade our fleet to better serve our customers with the latest features and comforts, while reducing our operational costs. This is especially the case when you consider we are adding four hybrid buses to the fleet,” said Shrewsbury Town Manager Daniel Morgado, Shrewsbury representative for the  WRTA Advisory Board.

The buses, which are currently being built at the Gillig facility in Hayward, California will begin arriving in early March, with a staggered delivery schedule that will continue through the end of that month.

According to O’Neil, as soon as the new buses begin to arrive, they will gradually start putting them into operation once Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Mass. Department of Employment and Training (DET) do testing and get the vehicles road ready. The buses will then get wrapped with the WRTA branding and begin being implemented into the fleet, replacing the oldest buses.

“We will make sure the buses we take out of operation are utilized to their fullest. We’ll reclaim as many used parts as possible and sell everything off that we can,” O’Neil added.