News

ANTIOCH, CA, March 2, 2009 – The Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (Tri Delta Transit) unveiled its new look for the future this week on eight brand new buses. The new buses bring with them a more contemporary appearance. However, there’s more to these new buses than just their modern exterior look and design.

Tri Delta Transit’s new buses come standard with clean diesel technology. In fact, all of Tri Delta Transit’s buses have been retrofitted to operate using clean diesel technology so even the older buses in operation are better for our environment. This retrofit included the installation of special particulate matter traps and filters to reduce emissions. Another important part of this technology is the use of Ultra Low Sulfur Fuel. By operating on this cleaner fuel, sulfur is
reduced from 500 parts per million to only 15. This improvement dramatically decreases the emission of polluting oxides of nitrogen into environment, as requested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Bus patrons will see an immediate improvement in vehicle comfort as well. The new buses are “low-floor” vehicles, which offer a much easier flow of foot traffic in and out of the bus. “Low floor buses have no steps at the doors so customers can board much easier. This is especially beneficial to our disabled customers,” said Tri Delta Transit CEO, Jeanne Krieg. “Someone boarding one of our new buses in a wheelchair, for example, will no longer have to wait for and utilize a lift to gain access to the vehicle. Instead, the bus kneels and a low angle ramp is more quickly deployed so the customer can board the bus on his or her own power.” Strollers, too, will benefit from the low-floor buses. Tri Delta Transit remains the only transit system in America to have a dedicated stroller area on board its buses. By making the boarding process easier and quicker, everyone benefits because a bus is less likely to fall behind schedule due to deploying the lift several times along its route.

Tri Delta Transit drivers are equally excited about the new buses. “They’re beautiful,” said Tri Delta Transit bus operator Don Schulte. “They have some great features that will make driving a 40-foot bus much easier.” Some of these features include a larger single-pane front windshield for better visibility, side window wipers and adjustable foot pedals. “But honestly, these vehicles are going to be much better for the passengers,” continued Schulte. “And what’s better for our passengers is better for us as operators.”

The new additions to the Tri Delta Transit fleet mark the beginning of a multi-year plan to replace all buses currently in operation. New buses should arrive at a rate of about five buses each year.

Print Official Release