BCAG; New Orions in the works
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
In the upcoming Butte County Association of Governments meeting for discussion of Unmet Transit Needs at the Chico City Hall Thursday, 9 am, among the items for discussion is the prospective purchase of seven Orion model VII buses similar to the bus pictured above. Orion is a subsidiary of Daimler North America
According to Ivan Garcia, the new 40 foot compressed natural gas powered buses will replace the final diesel buses that the B-Line presently has in service, including the venerable 714 that has worked the ridge for Butte County Transit for many years and the remaining holdovers from Chico Area Transit Service (CATS).
BCAG is also looking into the possibility of using software developed through Google Maps in order to run an operation called Google Buses. The program will help B-Line keep track of their fleet, make the routes more efficient, and assist in operations.