ART Buses Removed from Transit Daytona Facility

November 28, 2018

Starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, bus manufacturer BYD began removal of its K11 electric buses from the City of Albuquerque Transit Department’s Daytona Facility.

The City has made it clear that contractual performance standards are simply not being met regarding battery charge ranges and required federal Altoona testing.  Furthermore, the City will not jeopardize the safety of drivers and residents and is rejecting the buses.

“This is a weight off of our shoulders,” stated Mayor Tim Keller.  “It was good to see these problematic buses leaving town.  It’s unfortunate the company couldn’t deliver and it leaves our city’s ART project years behind.”

As the inspection reports are finalized, safety issues like those displayed in this video are more apparent. The video shows a test in which a 118-pound brake drum is placed on the ART bus’s bridge plate, which is designed for wheelchair entry. The bridge plate should not fold out when there is weight on it to prevent a wheelchair or person being flipped onto the street. However, the bridge plate does fold out and in, easily flipping the weight of the barrel. Similarly, the bridge plate catapults a 190-pound person out of the bus. The bridge plate should also stop its descent when there is any object in the way, yet the video displays the plate crushing a tennis shoe.

The findings of the inspection report are still being completed but this was one example that could be made readily available today.

For more information about challenges other cities are having with these buses read this article from Los Angeles Times: Stalls, stops and breakdowns: Problems plague push for electric buses