AMA acquires seven new environmentally friendly buses

By The Star Staff

With an investment of $3.3 million in federal funds, the Metropolitan Bus Authority (AMA by its Spanish initials) received seven new buses for the 24 routes it operates in various areas of the San Juan metropolitan area, AMA President & General Manager Karen Correa Pomales announced Tuesday.

“We received seven new 40-foot Nova Bus units for the regular route, which would be the third group of units of the Fleet Replacement Program known as the ‘Bus Replacement Plan,’ as established in the Transit Asset Management Plan of the federal government last year,” Correa Pomales said in a written statement.

The Canadian-made Nova Bus units have a maximum capacity of 70 passengers (37 seated and 33 standing), are more efficient and have minimal gas emissions. They come from the factory with their own acrylic driver protection feature installed.

“It should be noted that for the first time a cost-effective strategy was achieved to acquire all the buses from the same manufacturer, Nova Bus, which will substantially reduce maintenance costs for the Authority in the medium and long term,” Correa Pomales said.