Amare
Senior Member
Personally I wouldnt mind if they pulled out of the Canadian market as well as their bus design seriously needs to be rethought and they refuse to change anything. The Quebec government will never let them go under though.
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TTC: Electric and alternative fuel buses
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
Steve X
Senior Member
That's not good as every Canadian city would end up sole sourcing buses from New Flyer. That said, the New Flyer Xcelsior designs are only a decade old while the out of business Orion VII deigns were from the early 2000s. NovaBus still produce the same model with minor updates from mid 1990s.
Amare
Senior Member
We'd all be taking the playbook which the Quebec government has been doing for the past...well forever really. Sole-sourcing to protect their little baby business.
Wouldnt be ideal of course, but this is just me doing wishful thinking since Nova's lack of innovation (asides from their e-bus and hybrid development) is beyond baffling.
turini2
Active Member
They had a factory in New York! https://www.mynbc5.com/article/nova-bus-leave-new-york-close-plattsburgh-facility/44288601
mind_the_gap
Active Member
It’s bigger than just America... Volvo recently decided to close its bodybuilding factory in Wroclaw. They will instead focus on chassis production, and partner with external bodybuilders. Seems to be an all around restructuring. They still have a chassis factory in Brazil, and a complete bus factory in Mexico.
Part of me wonders if they’ll eventually just start selling city buses made in Mexico in the US.
Steve X
Senior Member
The Plattsburgh facility manufactured a significant number of buses we seen on the TTC today and for other Canadian cities in the years leading to the pandemic. It seems like America themselves aren't able to keep the factory busy enough. Since buses aren't replaced every few years like consumer products, there isn't a lot to profit from. If ridership recovery isn't happening, there's no point for most cities to buy more buses.
allengeorge
Senior Member
Pretty sure that US government contracts have significant “Made in America” provisions.
APTA-2048
Senior Member
Yes, they’ll have the same problem as they do with having only a factory in Canada. Though I should note, Volvo does sell their made-in-Mexico 9700 tour coach in Canada and the US. But private operators aren’t using Federal funds to purchase them.
mind_the_gap
Active Member
I really feel sorry for all the American TAs that loved their LFSes. Gillig would be such a downgrade.
God forbid a Gillig ever comes near a Canadian TA.
God forbid a Gillig ever comes near a Canadian TA.
drum118
Superstar
They show up on a huge number of systems I have seen over the years with most small system using them 100%
Saw them in Albany, Utica, Cleveland, Erie, Toledo, Detroit, Buffalo this year. 60 footers were new flyer.
Have yet to see a Gillig LFSes.
My take is Gillig goes after smaller systems base on the small orders from them that can be pump out the door faster than large orders. They just expanded their plant to deal with increase orders as well meeting the battery power market.
allengeorge
Senior Member
It’s incredibly hard for Canadian headquartered manufacturers to compete with US ones in the face of increasing “Buy America” provisions. The only way is for them to build American facilities to serve the US market, and over time (given the size of that market) those factories start to dwarf the Canadian ones. In addition, US manufacturers get a significant boost.
I guess those provisions are having the desired effect.
I guess those provisions are having the desired effect.
just east of the creek
Active Member
I could not find a thread for Oakville Transit (rural wi fi speeds are brutal) but thought I would post this photo here. This is an OT electric bus. In operation? Maybe? As a ‘handivan-type’? I could not get close enough for a good side view, but the unit is short and possibly with a larger side access door. Anyways, a sign of things to come I gather. Taken on Brontë Road and Dundas.
Attachments
APTA-2048
Senior Member
These are their new electric Care-A-Van buses. They’re from Turkish manufacturer Karsan. There’s been a lot of teething problems with them so far.
rbt
Senior Member
Any idea if the issues are with the electric drivetrain or not? TTC electric test buses seemed to have a lot of issues with basics, like doors.