Keolis wins two 4-year city bus contracts in California

California, United States (Urban Transport News): The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), the transit authority for one of the main regions of Los Angeles, has just awarded Keolis a contract to operate and maintain its bus network until 20271.

The Group also obtained the renewal of a contract with Foothill Transit, in the suburbs of Los Angeles, to operate and maintain service from the Pomona facility until 2027. Keolis will be responsible for introducing 33 new hydrogenpowered electric buses into service –presently the largest hydrogen bus fleet in the United States.

The Group has been awarded a contract by OCTA to operate and maintain 209 vehicles along 36 routes out of the Anaheim and Irvine/Sand Canyon bases. This is equal to approximately 40% of OCTA’s fixed route bus service. By contracting this service, OCTA will provide an additional 150,000 service hours to the passengers and visitors of Orange County, California, which has a population of approximately 3.1 million people.

Keolis' objectives will include implementing an employee training plan, retaining employees, and providing reliable service and increasing ridership.

Keolis has already a strong presence in the region, including several contracts such as Pomona, Victorville (Orange County), Van Nuys and Burbank Airport. This makes it the leading bus operator in Orange County.

In addition, the Group recently won a two-year contract to operate the paratransit system in San Fernando and Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles.

Located east of Los Angeles, Pomona is a city of nearly 150,000 people. The bus system, operated and maintained by Keolis on behalf of Foothill Transit, serves 14 local routes in the San Gabriel Valley and 4 express routes to downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena.

With this contract renewal, Keolis will continue to operate and maintain the 147 buses already running on alternative energies (mainly electricity and CNG) and will support its client in its ambition to transition to hydrogen. Foothill Transit, which has had three hydrogen-powered buses in its fleet for nearly a year, intends to expand its fleet with the introduction of 33 new vehicles. To this end, the transit authority is equipping its Pomona site with a 95,000-liter hydrogen tank to fuel its fleet. Keolis teams will assist this deployment drawing on expertise acquired in its Bus and Energy Center of Excellence.

This renewal also reinforces Keolis' position as a partner of choice in Southern California.