New Flyer has been awarded a contract to supply the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority with 75 Xcelsior® hybrid-electric forty-foot transit buses and 25 Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ battery-electric forty-foot transit buses.
The order comes from an option that forms part of an existing five-year contract for 500 buses, and has been actioned in the agreement’s second year.
Exercised from New Flyer’s Q2 2026 backlog; funding for the buses will be sourced from a combination of federal, state, and local programmes, including grants from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission grant programme. The new vehicles will be used to replace retiring fleet units, and are expected to elevate both passenger comfort and operational efficiency whilst aligning with Metro’s five-year Strategic Transformation Plan.
Chris Stoddart, President of North American Bus and Coach at NFI, said:Metro’s investment in our hybrid and battery-electric buses shows a strong commitment to efficiency and modernization.
We’re proud to supply Buy America-compliant vehicles that support the agency’s innovation goals and boost local manufacturing across the country.
This latest purchase of low- and zero-emission buses continues Metro’s current five-year contract with New Flyer, which initially saw the company announce a base order for 100 hybrid-electric buses in 2025, followed by the announcement of Metro’s Year 1 options in February 2026 for an additional 75 Xcelsior® forty-foot hybrid-electric buses and 25 Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ forty-foot battery-electric buses.
