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Committee Advances $94.5M Contract for 60 Articulated Trolley Buses; Higher Unit Cost Attributed to Optional Equipment
Summary
The committee advanced a contract with New Flyer to buy 60 articulated trolley buses for up to $94.95 million, with SFMTA staff saying San Francisco's per-vehicle cost exceeds King County’s due to required optional equipment such as DTI camera systems and automatic passenger counters.
The Budget and Finance Committee advanced a contract authorizing the purchase of 60 articulated, 60-foot trolley buses from New Flyer of America, subject to a not-to-exceed total of about $94.95 million.
John Haley, SFMTA director of transit, said the purchase is part of a five-year fleet replacement plan and leverages a joint procurement with King County Metro. He told the committee the equipment is intended to replace the oldest, least reliable trolley buses and that the first vehicle is scheduled for delivery in early 2015. Funding for the procurement was described as a combination of Prop K local funds and federal money.
Budget analyst materials showed the base cost for the 60 articulated buses at about $89.35 million (roughly $1.49 million per bus) and a total not-to-exceed of about $94.95 million with optional equipment. Committee members noted that King County’s per-vehicle costs were materially lower; SFMTA fleet-engineering lead Elson Howe explained San Francisco specifies more optional equipment — for example, a DTI camera system priced at about $25,000 per bus for safety and wireless download capability, and automatic passenger counters priced at roughly $12,000 — which account for much of the differential in unit cost versus King County.
Supervisors questioned procurement sequencing after reports that New Flyer produced some buses before Board approval; SFMTA staff said vendors may at their own risk produce vehicles but that the agency follows procurement and purchase-order steps before committing to manufacturing. The budget analyst recommended approval; the committee advanced the item without objection.
