CTA ordering 125 new buses as part of fleet modernization plan

The Chicago Transit Authority will buy 125 new buses as part of an effort to modernize its fleet and improve service.

The new bus order will be tacked on to an existing contract the CTA awarded to Canadian manufacturer Nova Bus in 2013, the transit agency said Monday.

The CTA bought 300 buses in its initial order from Nova Bus, and about 230 of those vehicles are now in service, the transit agency said. The CTA is exercising an option in the contract to buy an additional 125 buses.

When the extra buses are delivered beginning in May 2016, they will replace the oldest vehicles in the CTA’s fleet, which were bought between 2000 and 2002.

“By purchasing additional new buses, we’re improving the customer experience and providing more reliable service by ridding our fleet of the oldest vehicles, which are at the point of requiring frequent and costly repairs,” CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said in a news release.

The new order is subject to approval by the Chicago Transit Board at a meeting on Wednesday.

The $220 million cost for all 425 buses plus spare parts and tools is being paid for with federal funds and CTA bond proceeds, the transit agency said.

The new 40-foot buses will feature security cameras, LED lighting and improved fuel economy. The clean diesel buses also meet federal emissions standards and have an electric ramp for mobility access.