Nashville MTA

[MAX BRT]

The Nashville MTA has awarded New Flyer a firm order for 10 XDE60s.

http://www.theglobea...=cnw&slug=C9506

The press release says that Nashville MTA is a new customer for New Flyer and has an active fleet of approximately 150 heavy-duty transit buses. A look at the wiki shows that they currently operate NABI artics (Allison hybrids) and have a roster heavy on Gilligs.

A look at board meeting minutes shows that the new artics will have passenger doors on both sides. All buses are expected to be delivered by May 2013.

[Chris H]

This means the days are numbered on the remaining Neoplan artics.

Glad they ain't getting more of those NABI BRT artics and will they have some variety in the fleet.

[MetrolinerXLZ]

I just made a visit to Nashville about 2-3 weeks ago. Here are my observations...

-There are a few ex-Metro Transit (Minneapolis, MN) Gillig Phantoms in service, mainly from the 500 and 600-series. They are numbered with P(whatever the number is), like P641 for example. Exact number of units unknown.

-Nashville MTA also has 4 MCI D4505s in service on their express lines. These are former Anchor Trailway units.

-The NovaBus RTS's appear to be retired; I didn't see any around while in Nashville. They may have been retired due to flood damage from the 2010 flood.

-The NABI 60-BRT Hybrids have Cummins ISL engines, not Caterpillar C-9 engines.

-As for the Gillig Low Floors, 800-850 have Detroit Diesel engines, while 851-894 have Cummins ISM engines. All others have Cummins ISL engines. There are SOME hybrids about, which are RTA purchases and used on express lines. I'm not sure exactly how many are in service.

Wiki roster updated accordingly!

[MAX BRT]

I just made a visit to Nashville about 2-3 weeks ago. Here are my observations...

-There are a few ex-Metro Transit (Minneapolis, MN) Gillig Phantoms in service, mainly from the 500 and 600-series. They are numbered with P(whatever the number is), like P641 for example. Exact number of units unknown.

-Nashville MTA also has 4 MCI D4505s in service on their express lines. These are former Anchor Trailway units.

-The NovaBus RTS's appear to be retired; I didn't see any around while in Nashville. They may have been retired due to flood damage from the 2010 flood.

-The NABI 60-BRT Hybrids have Cummins ISL engines, not Caterpillar C-9 engines.

-As for the Gillig Low Floors, 800-850 have Detroit Diesel engines, while 851-894 have Cummins ISM engines. All others have Cummins ISL engines. There are SOME hybrids about, which are RTA purchases and used on express lines. I'm not sure exactly how many are in service.

Wiki roster updated accordingly!

Thanks for this great contribution!

[MAX BRT]

An XDE60 built for Nashville was on display in Clearwater Florida on March 15.

http://www.tbnweekly...1913_pco-02.txt

[MAX BRT]

Some info on Nashville's plans for BRT can be gleaned from an article in the Tampa Tribune, dated May 27, 2013.

Excerpts below:

. . . a successful strategy Nashville has employed by beginning with modest projects in busy corridors, using conventional, 60-foot articulated buses that made half as many stops as the local service.

“We chose to call our concept BRT Lite because our routes did not operate in designated lanes,” said Patricia Harris-Morehead, communications chief for the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Then Nashville conducted a year-long study on how to improve transit in a busy corridor through the heart of downtown, considering light rail, heavy rail, street cars and a true BRT system, with dedicated lanes for 80 percent of the route.

The BRT option with exclusive lanes for buses was selected and the new system that could begin in 2016 is expected to save 20 percent travel time over auto traffic.

The proposed Nashville BRT with exclusive bus lanes estimated $174 million for capital costs for the 7.1-mile corridor, compared with HART spending $31 million for design, land acquisition and construction, $2 million for transit signal priority equipment and $1.75 million for the Fletcher Park-n-Ride on a route more than twice as long as Nashville’s true BRT."

[Buzz2kb]

The XDE60's are now in service! Here attached are buses 122 and 127, which I spotted last Thursday. They seems to be confined to the MTA's new BRT Lite Line 55. Note the doors on the driver's side and the wheel covers. Apparently, they are full BRT-spec buses. Remarkably, they are the first Xcelsiors I've ever spotted, as the Mid-South (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) is a New Flyer-free region until recent orders by MTA and Birmingham's BJCTA. I really can't wait Birmingham's XN40's to hit the road later this year/early next year!

As for the Gillig hybrids, they come in three varieties. 676 is one of at least 2 BRT's used on the free Music City Circuit circulator service but seen on the local line 17 (I've also attached bus 675 seen on its intended use), while 605 is one of several with RTA lettering and possibly have suburban configuration (It was seen serving the express line 37X). The biggest batch, though, is twelve 700-series EPA-2010 spec (725 and up) buses for local lines as depicted by 729 on local line 23. (Buses 700-724 are similar clean diesel buses)..

Bonus pictures: NABI 60-BRT's 190 and 197 spotted outside their usual haunt (MTA's original BRT Lite line 56) on express line 36X and BRT Lite line 55 respectively.

All these pictures were taken on last Thursday morning near the Music City Central transit center. Hope that you'll enjoy my pictures in the Nashville MTA gallery!

[MAX BRT]

The XDE60's are now in service! Here attached are buses 122 and 127, which I spotted last Thursday. They seems to be confined to the MTA's new BRT Lite Line 55. Note the doors on the driver's side and the wheel covers. Apparently, they are full BRT-spec buses. Remarkably, they are the first Xcelsiors I've ever spotted, as the Mid-South (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) is a New Flyer-free region until recent orders by MTA and Birmingham's BJCTA. I really can't wait Birmingham's XN40's to hit the road later this year/early next year!

As for the Gillig hybrids, they come in three varieties. 676 is one of at least 2 BRT's used on the free Music City Circuit circulator service but seen on the local line 17 (I've also attached bus 675 seen on its intended use), while 605 is one of several with RTA letterings and possibly have suburban configuration (It was seen serving the express line 37X). The biggest batch, though, is twelve 700-series EPA-2010 spec (725 and up) buses for local lines as depicted by 729 on local line 23. (Buses 700-724 are similar clean diesel buses)..

Bonus pictures: NABI 60-BRT's 190 and 197 spotted outside their usual haunt (MTA's original BRT Lite line 56) on express line 36X and BRT Lite line 55 respectively.

All these pictures were taken on last Thursday morning near the Music City Central transit center. Hope that you'll enjoy my pictures!

Thanks, love the report from Nashville!

[MVTArider]

Those XDE60 with the BRT wheel covers look great. They look fairly similar to the old LFA style as well. I can see why NFI dropped that line.

[MetrolinerXLZ]

I noticed there were recent edits made to the Wiki section, which included some changes to the engine specs about the 800 series Gillig Low Floors. When I visted Nashville last year, half had Detroit Diesel S50EGRs, the rest had Cummins ISM...now it appears that some of the first half has been repowered to Cummins ISL. Can anyone provide confirmation to that?

[RailBus63]

I noticed there were recent edits made to the Wiki section, which included some changes to the engine specs about the 800 series Gillig Low Floors. When I visted Nashville last year, half had Detroit Diesel S50EGRs, the rest had Cummins ISM...now it appears that some of the first half has been repowered to Cummins ISL. Can anyone provide confirmation to that?

I was in Nashville this week - most if not all of the older 800's still have the Series 50 engines.

[TheAverageJoe]

Nashville Re-Ups with Proterra, Adding More Zero-Emission Buses to the Music City

http://www.proterra.com/nashville-re-ups-with-proterra-adding-more-zero-emission-buses-to-the-music-city/

[Buzz2kb]

Having fanned on Nashville MTA for at least 7 different occasions, I can finally put up a definite fleet narrative on the agency.  Without any doubt, artics are the flagships of the agency.  MTA has about 41 artics in service (20 NABI 60-BRT hybrids and 21 New Flyer XDE60's). Besides, their definite use on the BRT-Lite lines (limited stop local bus routes) 55 and 56, they can also be found on local routes 6, 23, 27 and 43, and intra-Davidson County express routes  24X, 33X, 35X, 36X and 38X on weekdays according to the agency's real time transit tracker.  They also serve route 34 on weekends and routes 10 and 15 (The local route counterparts of BRT Lite lines 50 and 55) on Sundays to compensate the absence of BRT Lite service.  In fact they did the same on route 26 (local route equivalent for BRT Lite line 56) until the reinstatement of Sunday service on the 56 in the past April.  I suspect the recent use of artics on local route 23 is about testing waters for adding a BRT Lite line along its corridor, or as its replacement (like BRT Lite lines 52A and 52B did to local route 12 on the Nolensville Pike)

On top of those attached in my June 2013 post, I've included pictures of XDE60 buses 126 and 131 on local route 34 and BRT Lite line 56 respectively two Saturdays ago.  Note that the wheel coverings at the 2 rear axles have been removed.  It seemed that these are cosmetically appealing but impractical features.  While I did not picture any NABI's that day.  I can confidently assume that their wheel coverings are removed as well.

Bonus pictures included here are for Neoplan AN460 high-floor artic 152 taken in July 2010.  This batch of 12 buses have since been retired.

The agency's next best looking buses are the Gillig BRT 40ft. hybrid's.  Bus 676 from the original 2 intended for the Music City Circuit circulator service has since been repainted into regular livery, and is spotted at the same BRT Lite station as artic 131.  Meanwhile, it has introduced a small batch of similar EPA-2010 buses that ends with bus 740.  Wrapped bus 737 is spotted on the Green circuit on the same Saturday as the artics and bus 676, while bus 738 in partial fleet livery was spotted on the BRT Lite line 50 in November 2015.

Onto the previously mentioned but not illustrated 700-series of Gillig Low Floor 40ft. EPA-2010 diesel buses, lead bus 700 was spotted in Music City Circuit wrap and serving the Green Circuit in November 2015, while bus 714 is spotted on the 52A branch of the BRT Lite line 52.  Remarkably, the line 52 family is the agency's first routes in years to feature a letter suffix.  (Hybrids numbered 725 and up were mentioned in my June 2013 post)

Numerically, their 800-series sister buses new in 2004-2005 featuring earlier emission standards are still the backbone of the agency's fix route fleet, as exemplified by 2004 bus 826 and 2005 bus 874.

It also operates a sub-fleet of 6 single-door sister suburban buses numbered in the 600 series.  They are consisted of 3 batches of 2 buses each (2004 diesel buses 600-601, 2005 diesel buses 602-603 and 2009 hybrids 604-605. They feature red diamond Middle Tennessee RTA logos on their sides on top of the regular MTA livery.  On the Saturday of my visit, they were out in force on both Music City Circuit routes, as illustrated by buses 601 and 605 on the Blue Circuit, and buses 603 and 604 on the Green Circuit.  On weekdays, they are most likely to be used on the family of express routes serving Murfreesboro/Rutherford County (84X/86X/96X), especially the 96X, but they can show up on any of the intra-Davidson County express routes, or even a local route.

There is also a 35ft. sub fleet of 10 buses numbered 650-659.  Bus 655 was pictured in regular livery on a local route back in 2010, and pictured carrying Music City Circuit livery on the Green Circuit in 2013.  By that time, 655 and its sister buses had probably replaced the pioneering Ford E-Series cutaways on the Green Circuit (More on that later).

The agency had also briefly operated 15 ex-Metro Transit (Twin Cities, Minnesota) 1999 Gillig Phantom 40ft, buses.  They retained their Metro Transit numbers with a P-prefix added.  Illustrated here are the examples I've pictured on my May 2013 visit: P500, P520, P530, P536, P620 and P637.

With regards to its cutaways, Ford E-Series with extra-tall Glaval bodies are believed the only examples in use, and they seem to be outfitted as dual-purpose paratransit/fixed route vehicles with front and rear LED route/destination(front only) signs and bike racks in buses 314 and 325 in regular livery illustrated here.  Meanwhile, bus 335 was pictured in a special livery for a since-discontinued flexible route back in August 2013.  Finally, bus 224 was one of the pioneering Green Circuit bus that got replaced by 35ft. Gillig Low Floor 655 and similar sister buses mentioned before.

Finally, the agency also operates 5 MCI D4505 over-the-road coaches purchased second-hand from local operator Anchor Trailways & Tours.  They are confined to the same Murfressboro/Rutherford County express route family as the 600-series of suburban buses, as these routes are the only out-of-county express routes operated in-house.  All other similar routes are outsourced to Gray Line Tennessee.  2009 Coach 1202 was pictured out of service and 2010 coach 1204 was pictured on route 84X, one of those aforementioned routes.  They are also the only coaches to carry fleet livery.

One final footnote to MTA's fleet are up to 9 Proterra EcoRide BE35 pure electric buses numbered in the 1300 series.  They are supposed to be the current standard buses on Music City Circuit duties.  However, they seem to become pretty unreliable buses, and I am unable to spot any of those in service during my November 2015 or June 2017 visits.  In fact, conventional diesel or hybrid buses seem to deputize for them frequently. 

Sorry for the time elapsed to complete my narrative, as the agency has so many different sub-fleets of current and retired buses.  Here is the link to the agency's Flickr gallery:

Nashville MTA

[RailBus63]

Metro Transit Authority is rebranding as WeGo Public Transit. 

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/07/13/nashville-transit-metro-transit-authority-revamps-look-new-branding/782958002/

31 new buses will be delivered in the next two month, which will help alleviate temporary service reductions due to a bus shortage.

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/on-the-rise/31-new-buses-19-new-vans-to-be-added-starting-july-12

[Border City Transit]

7 hours ago, RailBus63 said:

Metro Transit Authority is rebranding as WeGo Public Transit. 

Wow.

The Nashville MTA brand was definitely due for an update.

I can deal with the name "WeGo" -- but the whole package feels incomplete and generic. The logo and typography make it hard to take seriously. Then again, Nashville publicly uses the name "BRT lite" for their, um, BRT lite service.

Here is a system that has a LOT of potential and very high pent-up demand (despite their loss at the polls). I hope this will evolve into something more professional, more conducive to attracting/educating new customers.

I don't love the initial WeGo paint scheme, but it's at least an upgrade from all white Gilligs.

I'm rooting for you, Nashville. Can we call this a first step toward something more professional and more comprehensive?

 

 

 

 

[Transit geek]

Those straight lines on a bus may be an easy paint job, but definitely lacks the attractiveness that locals and tourists alike desire. Take the new name, despite it not being as original as I'd ideally like it to be. Fortunately three years is plenty of time to come up with something that looks better.

[RailBus63]

15 hours ago, Border City Transit said:

I can deal with the name "WeGo" -- but the whole package feels incomplete and generic.

I agree - I would have liked to see a name and color scheme that better ties in to Nashville's heritage.

[Buzz2kb]

The re-branding of Nashville MTA into We Go Public Transit is well under way!  During my Nashville visit on Monday, I have spotted four buses ordered by the MTA that are repainted into the We Go Public Transit livery.  They are 40ft. EPA-2010 Gillig Low Floor Diesel buses 708 and 713, similar Allison hybrid bus 730 and NABI 60-BRT bus 186.  My bold guess is that no buses older than a 2008 model will be repainted.  As for buses delivered new to We Go Public Transit, most are 40ft. Gillig Low Floor/BAE hybrid buses like buses 1826, 1900 and 1902.  However, there are also some Ford E-Series/Champion Challenger cutaways like buses 412 and 413.  They are used on low ridership routes and express trips up to Rutherford County.

I have also pictured some of the final buses delivered new under the MTA guise in 2017.  The 1700's are the pioneering 40ft. Gillig Low Floor/BAE hybrid buses, as illustrated by bus 1703 in fleet livery and 1701 in Music City Circuit livery.  The latter is no doubt a cover for less reliable Proterra EcoRide BE35 electric buses, of which bus 1301 is depicted here.  As a clarification, I did picture such buses back in July 2017.  Meanwhile, the agency also topped up its artic fleet with four more New Flyer XDE60's like bus 1763.  They differ from their 2013 sister buses by being built as transit-style buses from the outset,  As a result, they carry only two curbside doors and do not feature wheel covers.  One final family of the Nashville MTA service covered here are the contracted inter-county coach services linking Nashville with most neighboring counties except Rutherford County.  They are operated under the umbrella of the RTA of Middle Tennessee and currently use a mix of MCI, Prevost and Volvo coaches from Gray Line.  Depicted here is Prevost coach 703.  All the coaches I have spotted are not equipped with destination headsigns (unlike MCI coaches 1200-1204 operated in-hose) and uses only printed route cards.  Ten new coaches are being order the guise of We Go Public Transit and hopefully, they will come in a standard livery and equipped with proper destination equipment.

'

The next few pictures illustrate the appearance of the agency's artics on routes outside the BRT-Lite duties.  Due to the glut of artics at 46 units, it has become really commonplace, as depicted by XDE60 buses 124 and 140, plus NABI 60-BRT bus 188 on intra-Davidson County express routes.  Meanwhile, XDE60 bus 132 is depicted serving two secondary local routes.  It is possibly assigned to school-time trips with higher anticipated ridership.  I can now confirm the wheel covers for the 60-BRT's have been removed, as shown by buses 188 and the repainted bus 186 mentioned before.

One final picture is paratransit van 024.  While paratransit duties are its main use, it is not uncommon to see sister vans to act as backups to the 400-series cutaways new in 2018.

Here is my Nashville MTA/We Go Public Transit gallery:

Nashville MTA/We Go Public Transit 

Edited May 5, 2019 by Buzz2kb

[Musiccitybusguy]

Wego has also repainted EPA-2010 Gillig diesel bus 716, 2013 New Flyer XDE60 bus 136, and one of their Glaval para-transit buses . They have also added approximately 6 Champion LF para-transit buses (low floor) #s 026-031.

[alexb320]

I was able to find some surplus auctions for some of the 2004 Gilligs. Not sure if this was all of them, but this is all I was able to find.

• 814 - 15GGD291941074259 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=114186
• 815 - 15GGD291541074260 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=115252
• 816 - 15GGD291741074261 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=115262
• 818 - 15GGD291041074263 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=114182
• 824 - 15GGD201641074653 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=115257
• 825 - 15GGD201841074654 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=115251
• 830 - 15GGD201741074659 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=113016
• 832 - 15GGD201541074661 - (Wrote down VIN, but forgot to save link)
• 836 - 15GGD201241074665 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=113007
• 837 - 15GGD201441074666 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=113017
• 841 - 15GGD201641074670 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=114184
• 843 - 15GGD201X41074672 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=114188
• 846 - 15GGD201541074675 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=114185
• 600 - 15GGD201341074268 - https://ebid.nashville.gov/AuctionDetail.aspx?auid=114183

I'll get around to adding these VINs to the wiki page when I have more free time; unless someone beats me to it.

[Gilligman2010]

How many 40’ Gillig hybrid 1800’s and 1900’s did We go get what’s the year and numbering sequence 

 

[Musiccitybusguy]

On 5/25/2020 at 8:39 AM, Gilligman2010 said:

How many 40’ Gillig hybrid 1800’s and 1900’s did We go get what’s the year and numbering sequence 

 

(1800’s_31 buses) #s 1800-1830 (1900’s_21 buses) #s 1900-1909/1910-1920. [The 2nd batch of 19’s are the only ones with a black mesh grill instead of a purple painted one] [2 of the 18’s have been retired after a vehicle accident/being disassembled]

[BroncoFan623]

Anyone have any updates about Nashville MTA? 

[andrethebusman]

I gather the 700 series MCIs are Gray Line, but who actually owns them? Gray Line or RTA?

[DCTransitFilms]

Few buses are up for auction right now:

136: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=6494&acctid=2

652: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=6493&acctid=2

181: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=6492&acctid=2

183: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=6491&acctid=2

800: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=6475&acctid=2