Dec 21, 2015 | News & Press
For Immediate Release
December 22, 2015
RIVERSIDE, CA — Complete Coach Works (CCW) is pleased to announce that it is providing TransIT Services of Frederick County, MD, with five buses that have been completely refurbished and equipped with CCW’s Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS), an all-electric battery-powered motor.
The first electric bus is expected to be delivered in February with the other four following closely behind in the proceeding months.
Jay Raber, the project manager for CCW, said the buses represent a significant milestone in a developing industry.
“This is the largest purchase of electric buses in the Northeast area by a transit property,” Raber said.
He credited Nancy Norris, Director of TransIT Services, for driving the purchase and marshaling funding for the contract.
“Nancy worked for two years to get the funding for this,” Raber said. “Frederick is a little community outside of Washington, D.C., and this is a huge project for them. It’s exciting because they got the funding and the approval to get this done before D.C. did. It means a whole lot to them.”
Norris said she first saw a CCW ZEPS bus at an event put on by the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. Raber subsequently brought the bus to her agency’s offices so her fleet managers and mechanics could inspect it. “That was extremely helpful,” Norris said.
“The cost of the five ZEPS buses and charging stations is being covered by a combination of federal (FTA), state (MTA) and local grant funding, Norris said. A Maryland Energy Administration grant is providing the local match for one bus and also helping with the cost of installing 10 charging stations at the transit agency’s yard. As an indication of TransIT’s commitment to the ZEPS-powered buses, the construction project will include laying conduit for future construction of 10 more charging stations.
“In addition, TransIT has a contract with CCW to purchase up to four more ZEPS buses a year over the next four years,” Norris said.
“Each of the ZEPS buses is expected to save the agency $464,000 in maintenance and fuel costs over its 12-year lifespan,” Norris said. “For five buses, the savings equates to over $2.3 million dollars over the lifetime of the buses.”
CCW was Norris’ first choice because the company rebuilds older buses and keeps them “out of the landfill,” she said. “And the cost is about 40 percent less than the cost of new buses. If you can recycle something, repurpose it and save money, why not?”
Complete Coach Works (CCW) is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW is a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering, resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed and integrated by CCW, the Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) technology provides customers a highly cost effective alternative to green transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction
TransIT Services of Frederick County is the public transportation system for Frederick County, MD. It provides local and commuter bus service and demand-response paratransit services to medical, employment, education and shopping centers, as well as connections to other commuter bus and rail systems. TransIT serves nearly 840,000 riders a year.
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Dec 10, 2015 | News & Press
Lancaster – The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Stuff-a-Bus is moving full speed ahead with its annual holiday toy drive! AVTA’s staff and charity volunteers have been busy collecting donations of new toys and clothing items for local children in need this holiday season. Their goal is to collect enough toys, clothing, and other gifts to fill up the 40’ specially decorated bus to the roof. With nearly $24,000 raised by community business sponsors to help purchase items for the toy drive, the bus is bursting with holiday cheer and the transit agency is more than halfway towards its goal.
The record number of toys and gifts collected so far would not have been possible without the generous support of major sponsors like Walmart, Complete Coach Works, BYD, Transdev, Granite Construction, Rally Chevrolet, and the Jethawks, who collectively donated more than half of the overall total cash raised to purchase gifts for the Valley’s less fortunate children.
The cities of Lancaster and Palmdale are also getting into the action by hosting special events to support AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus. The City of Palmdale is again challenging its employees to donate to Stuff-a-Bus with a fun contest, and has pledged a minimum of 400 toys and gifts for the event, while officials from the City of Lancaster and Remax will join forces on a shopping excursion to help “Stuff That Bus!” even more!
“The AVTA holiday toy drive is an incredible community effort that highlights the unity of Antelope Valley residents,” said AVTA Chair Marvin Crist. “Stuff-a-Bus has been a success for more than 20 years, thanks to support from the business community and from local charity volunteers, who step up year after year to help without hesitation.”
AVTA officials estimate they have collected approximately 3,000 toys and gifts so far, but there is room for more and the agency hopes to fill in the gaps this weekend with two more opportunities for AV residents to donate to AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus. On Saturday, December 12, the Stuff-A-Bus will take part in the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce William J. “Pete” Knight “Frozen” Christmas Parade. Later that same day, the bus will be part of “A Magical BLVD Christmas” on Lancaster Blvd. From 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the Stuff-a-Bus will be ready and waiting for donations of new unwrapped toys and clothing. A large quantity of new toys will be on hand at this event, and for a small donation, folks can choose an item to stuff inside the bus. The final opportunity to help “Stuff That Bus!” will be on Sunday, December 13th, at the Antelope Valley Mall front entrance, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Residents can also stop by Palmdale City Hall, Monday through Thursday between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. until December 14, to drop off a donation.
“The holidays are the perfect time of year to do things for others,” says AVTA Executive Director Len Engel. “We provide a service to the community every day, but the holidays are when we try to do something special for those who need it most. It’s AVTA’s way of promoting goodwill and cheer within the community.”
All items donated will stay in the Antelope Valley, and will benefit children from Grace Resource Center, South Antelope Valley Emergency Services of Palmdale (SAVES), Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley, Children’s Bureau, the Child and Family Guidance Center and the Marco & Sandra Johnson Foundation. Volunteers from each charity, along with AVTA staff members, will gather in the AVTA Community Room on December 17 at 10:00 a.m. for the Bagging Party, to bag up all of the donated toys and clothes. Each charity will be prepared to haul their goodies away for final distribution to the families they serve. The public is welcome to attend.
AVTA provides local, commuter, and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County. Its total service area covers 1,200 square miles and it is bounded by the Kern County line to the north, the San Bernardino County line to the east, the Angeles National Forest to the south, and Interstate 5 to the West.
Aug 13, 2015 | News & Press
For Immediate Release
August 5, 2015
Riverside, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) has completed the retrofitting of seven SunTran buses with Q’Pod securement systems. The job was completed on-site at SunTran’s St. George, Utah location.
The project consisted of removing 4 seats and installing 2 Q’Pod stations per bus. Q’Pods are known for being ADA compliant and their stability to reduce the risk of wheelchair tip-overs. These Q’Pods have innovative safety features, such as the 3-point securement system, the stabilizing bumper, and the integrated shoulder belt. CCW has performed similar projects, and their experience allowed them to send technicians on-site to complete the project at the convenience of SunTran.
Kevin O’Brien, the general sales manager at CCW, spoke about the importance of securement systems, saying “these systems not only allow for all riders to be accommodated, but it also speeds up the loading and off-loading process, assuring that routes will be met on time.”
Fred Davies, SunTran’s Transit Manager, said that while this project significantly improved their timeliness, it also increased the safety of riders. He states that it has “made a big difference on convincing passengers who don’t typically accept the lap and shoulder belt to now accept it.”
With the buses now in service, Davies shares that “when the number of passengers in wheelchairs and scooters increased to a new record high (334) in June 2015, we were still able to provide normal service without significant delays. If we had experienced this dramatic increase without Q’Pods helping us provide faster and safer service, we would have experienced service degrading delays as we had in the months prior to the install.”
CCW is honored to have been given the opportunity to aid SunTran in catering to their passengers’ needs with efficiency and safety in mind.
“SunTran appreciates that CCW really jumped through hoops to make sure that we would have the buses according to schedule,” stated Davies.
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering, resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed and integrated by CCW, the Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) technology provides customers a highly cost effective alternative to green transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction.
City of St. George SunTran Division provides the public transit for the City of St. George. They have six fixed routes, with over 140 bus stops. In 2014 SunTran expanded service to Ivins, Utah. They are also wheelchair accessible with space for two chairs and bike racks.
Jul 28, 2015 | News & Press
You might hop on a Forest Park Trolley that looks a little different than the trolleys you’re used to seeing, starting tomorrow July 21. That’s because Metro is testing a refurbished Zero-Emission Propulsion System powered electric bus from Complete Coach Works, and Forest Park visitors will have a chance to join in the test drive.
The electric bus will operate on the #3 Forest Park Trolley route tomorrow through Sunday, July 26, to give our MetroBus operations team a chance to see the bus in action.
“This is a great opportunity to take a closer look at this new technology and see how it operates on the road under changing environmental conditions, like temperature variances and different passenger loads,” said Ray Friem, Executive Director of Metro. “With a better understanding of its full capabilities, we can determine if electric bus technology is a good fit for our MetroBus fleet in the future and if it provides a good return on investment for both Metro and the region’s taxpayers.”
Please read the full article by Matthew Hibbard on NextStop STL.
Jun 11, 2015 | News & Press
MONTEREY, Calif. —Monterey Salinas Transit cut the cord on its wireless electric trolley Monday morning.
“It is the first of its kind all electric trolley that is powered through magnetic induction technology,” said Carl Sedoryk, with MST.
The trolley was once part of the all diesel fleet used by the public transportation organization, but with the help of Complete Coach Works its been retrofitted with an electric engine that charges wirelessly.
On the corner of Tyler and Pearl there is a charging plate, the trolley drives above it and syncs to charge, the technology built by WAVE, a company out of Salt Lake City, Utah.
MST is the first agency in California to use wireless power transfer technology that is installed under the roadway, transmitting electricity via magnetic waves to the vehicle.
Sedoryk said it has taken four year, a big federal grant, and a lot of hard work to bring the one of a kind trolley to the Central Coast.
The project was funded in part by a $1.67 million federal Clean Fuels grant, with an “in-kind” match from the state of California.
In attendance at the cord cutting ceremony were many of the people who helped to get the ball on the trolley rolling, including Monterey city councilor Libby Downey, and U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D).
The event also brought in transportation employees from around the state there to see the technology in action.
“We have people from all over the state who are here who are interested in finding more environmentally sustainable ways to operate public transit in their communities,” Sedoryk said.
MST hopes to get the rest of its trolley fleet running on electricity eventually, and has already applied for another federal grant to help achieve the goal.
Story courtesy of KSBW.com Action News 8.
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