The DCTA’s board of directors approved the purchase, which will cost nearly $2.4 million, during the Oct. 23 meeting.
What you need to know
The purchase for the three new buses was budgeted for the 2025-26 fiscal year, similar to a three-bus purchase approved for the 2024-25 fiscal year, said Lisa Taylor, DCTA’s vice president of operations. By approving the purchase in October, the DCTA will be able to avoid cost escalators that would have made the purchase more expensive, Taylor added.
However, because of an anticipated impact of tariffs, staff budgeted a 9% contingency that is included in the total price, Taylor said. The 35-foot buses, which will be built by Gillig, will begin production in September 2026, according to DCTA documents.
Funding for the nearly $2.4 million purchase comes from local DCTA funds and federal grant dollars, Taylor said.
Diving deeper
The purchase of the bus fits into the DCTA’s strategy to replace vehicles at the end of their useful life and support further expansion, per agency documents.
Taylor said DCTA staff are currently working on other long-range capital projects during FY 2025-26, including:
- Replacing power steering pumps on the agency’s 1100-series buses
- Addressing engine failures, including rebuilding engine blocks, for some buses
- Working on 3D printing a new power steering pump for the 600-series buses to test as a replacement on the vehicles
- Refurbishing one bus, one cutaway bus, two crew transport vehicles and one maintenance truck
DCTA staff plan to hold a pre-production meeting with Gillig for the ordered buses in February. During the meeting, staff will finalize a paint scheme for the bus, Taylor said. The agency will also work with Dikita Engineering to perform a required safety inspection of the buses during production.
According to a board presentation, DCTA staff have developed a five-color paint scheme that more closely resembles the A-Train in addition to the three-color scheme used on buses. Taylor said board members will be informed of any cost impacts based on the final color scheme.
