Every one of the 1,680 city buses in Montreal’s fleet was made by Nova Bus, a division of Volvo with a large Quebec workforce.
Now, as 10 Quebec transit agencies prepare to order perhaps more than 1,000 new buses, a new bus manufacturer wants to grab some of the market.
New Flyer, a Winnipeg company, is up against Nova Bus in a public-tender process to supply the buses to Montreal, Laval, Longueuil and seven other agencies.
New Flyer, which has supplied most of North America’s big public transit agencies, has teamed up with Girardin, a family-owned Drummondville company that specializes in schoolbuses and minibuses.
New Flyer and Girardin recently landed their first sale in Quebec, selling17 New Flyer Xcelsior buses to the transit agency that serves Sorel, Varennes and four neighbouring municipalities.
On Thursday, the two companies showed off one of those Xcelsior buses in a Varennes parking lot. I wrote a story about their push into Quebec for Friday’s Gazette.
Above, you’ll find a video of a tour Mark Brager, New Flyer’s director of major accounts and dealer relationships, gave me.
Unfortunately, the bus on display does not show the bus Montrealers will see if the STM ends up buying Xcelsiors.
Among other things, the one on display only had one door (STM buses would have two), it had more seating than the STM would want, and it had more comfortable seats than the STM would order
6 comments:
Les, my posts never seem to work so tagging my news here. It's turning out into quite a year for me. First my novel to be published and now I'm shortlisted for an Alberta Literary Award for short non fiction. Here's the press release. I'm thrilled to be among such illustrious company. http://www.writersguild.ab.ca/pdf/2012AlbertaLiteraryAwardsShortlist.pdf
Fantastic Dolly that's exciting news,it's been a long slow process,but it looks like your are now making bigger forward strides......Congrats Dolly well done for perserverence. I know a few people who write & I do see the hoops they have to jump through,& the sometimes 'over editing' by someone who just doesn't really get the story.....but it is all part of the game,Not bad for a kid form Verdun Dolly......welldone.
I will post a thread showing your books cover & whatever other publicity stuff I can find...& I will also suggest it for our local library of course.
Keep us informed & just post it anywhere ,we will get the post in our InBox...
Cheers ! HF&RV - Les
Will keep you posted as things develop. It is indeed a very long process.
Yes do that,please.....also why is the title "Perennial" or rather should I ask was that the title you started with ? -Les
ps: I am heading out the door right now ,so I won't answer a response to this until later......HF&RV
Ah, I guess I wasn't clear. Perennial is not the book, Les. Loddy-Dah is my novel (fiction) and should be out next year. I have to get the text print-ready by December 2012. That's why I say the publishing business is slow as molasses but I'm not their only author and not priority right now as book launches are usually held in the spring and fall.
Perennial is the title for a short non-fiction I wrote and is about going through menopause at the same time my son was entering puberty. It's a funny piece. Two separate things. I've sent the press release to my publisher at Guernica Editions and they will be adding it to their website. Pre-promotion for a new Guernica author!
Ahh now I've got it....................HF&RV - Les
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