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Re: Very topical comment on "Buy American" from hsr blog site
Author: mook
Date: 12-19-2010 - 14:04
Thanks. Good point on Gillig - hadn't realized they were still around. Practically everybody in my region seems to be hooked on Orion or New Flyer. Used to be some BlueBirds in commute express use but those are long gone. Only Gillig's I've seen recently are a few old ones that were rebuilt as gasoline-electric hybrids (then used in freeway service so they broke down constantly - ???). If we include commuter transit I should probably back off on the USA claim assuming MCI (recently showing up on some longer routes) is still one of us.
If smaller buses (mostly shuttle/paratransit types) are considered then, yes, there are lots of US companies doing the work. Some of them are more like RV makers in concept (attaching a bus body to a chassis-cab bought from a truck maker) and the market probably isn't rich enough (big enough orders) to make the big companies interested.
One thing about buses, though: they have a shorter life than rail cars. FTA allows replacement after 10-12 years, and I've heard of shorter turnovers. There are also of course a lot more buses. So the market has enough annual turnover to keep a few companies in business.
If smaller buses (mostly shuttle/paratransit types) are considered then, yes, there are lots of US companies doing the work. Some of them are more like RV makers in concept (attaching a bus body to a chassis-cab bought from a truck maker) and the market probably isn't rich enough (big enough orders) to make the big companies interested.
One thing about buses, though: they have a shorter life than rail cars. FTA allows replacement after 10-12 years, and I've heard of shorter turnovers. There are also of course a lot more buses. So the market has enough annual turnover to keep a few companies in business.
