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Gwinnett County New
Bus Transit Authority Start-up - Procurement of CNG
Vehicles and Equipment
The city and area
surrounding Atlanta, Georgia is experiencing phenomenal
population growth, creating the challenge of peak-hour
congestion for those commuting to either downtown
Atlanta or nearby suburbs. Until 2001, Gwinnett County
was reported to be the most populous county in the
country without public transportation service. In a
subconsultant role, Lea+Elliott assisted county staff in
planning the purchase of three different transit bus
fleets: express/intercity service to downtown Atlanta;
local service within Gwinnett County; and Paratransit
service for the mobility impaired.
Lea+Elliott’s project
manager led the firm’s efforts in helping the county
staff define its specific needs for each phase of its
implementation plan. We then recommended the appropriate
type of bus for each application. These recommendations
took into account fueling station requirements,
maintenance plans and other impacts on fixed facilities.
Based on available funding and a desire to place the
buses in service in less than one year, we recommended
that the county “tack-on” to another transit property’s
bus order. In this way, new buses could be delivered at
a reasonable cost in the shortest amount of time. One of
the major considerations was the county’s desire to
attain maximum air quality by purchasing
alternative-fuel buses. This led to the decision to
consider vehicles that use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
For the express bus service, 17 40-foot buses,
powered by CNG, were purchased from North American Bus
Industries, tacking on to an order for the City of
Phoenix. Lea+Elliott made changes to the vehicle
specifications so that these low-floor buses would be
equipped for intercity commuter service, with high-back
seats, luggage racks, and other amenities. We also led
the development of specifications for fareboxes,
destination signs, radios, special tools, and support
equipment.
On November 5, 2001,
these buses began service on six routes, using
high-occupancy vehicle lanes along I-85. Ridership
exceeded projections and five additional express buses
were ordered, as well as 38 local-service CNG buses.
These were procured from Orion by tacking on to a
MARTA contract. The local service buses will be
low-floor vehicles, ranging from 30 to 40 feet long. Paratransit buses
were purchased through a Georgia
State DOT contract.
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