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Bus fleet getting newer, greener

The Lowell Regional Transit Authority continues to upgrade its fleet, which is getting greener every day. This month the authority rolled out seven new buses, adding to the 12 new buses it brought online last year.

The latest acquisitions, seven 35-foot buses, were purchased from Gillig Corp. of Hayward, Calif. They seat 32, burn low-sulfur diesel fuel, and accommodate wheelchairs. "They're state-of-the-art," said the transit authority's executive director, James Scanlan, last week.

Eighty percent of the cost of each $285,000 bus was paid for with grants from the federal government. The state paid for the remaining 20 percent.

With five new buses scheduled to join next year, the transit authority will have replaced more than half its fleet of 45 buses in a few years.