🚀 go-pugleaf

Martin_Williamson@mindlink.bc.ca wrote:

>There are 'alternatives' but they are;
>1) more expensive - both GM and Flexible make urban transit type
			         ^^^^^^^^ actually "Flxible"! 
>coaches but run about $350,000.

GM got out of the transit bus business 6 or 7 years ago. MCI took over
their Canadian operations while TMC took over their US production.
Canadian and US production was recently reunited under the NovaBus
name. The Canadian plant produces a low-floor model in competition
with that sold by New Flyer and delivered to BC Transit. 

>2) not Canadian made - which translates into lost jobs with the
>subsequent loss to the Canadian economy.  GM used to manufacture
>coaches in London, Ontario (we still have several in our fleet) but
>closed the plant entirely about 3 or 4 years ago (if memory serves).

GM's successor (NovaBus) builds its buses in St. Eustache, Quebec,
just north of Montreal. The London plant was closed when the Quebec
gov't (over ten years ago) agreed to buy a ton of buses from GM *if*
they moved the plant to Quebec. Ontario and Quebec bus purchases are
still heavily affected by this unfortunate history.

------------
Ian Fisher  ifisher@unixg.ubc.ca   Transport 2000 British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Canada              Visit the Transport 2000 BC Web Site:
Telephone/Fax: (604)681-3192       http://www.vcn.bc.ca/t2000bc/