New York’s Public Transport Authorities order bus fleet with ZF Technology

The NYCT is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of the U.S. state of New York.

New York City Transit (NYCT) ordered over 300 low-floor articulated buses from the Nova Bus manufacturer. They shall be delivered between August 2011 and April 2013 and replace previous models. All buses have driveline technology by ZF Friedrichshafen AG on board. This makes them efficient and comfortable at the same time.

The NYCT is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of the U.S. state of New York.

NYCT operates the public transport in New York: With far more than seven million passengers every day and about 2.3 billion per year it is the biggest public transport authority of North America. Its bus fleet comprises 5,900 vehicles and covers a distance of about 200,000 kilometers per day. Due to this hard permanent operation, the vehicles must be regularly renewed: After a test run with 90 buses last year, NYCT now ordered 328 articulated buses from Nova Bus, a Volvo Bus subsidiary.

Efficient driveline technology

The 19-meter long buses are equipped with the ZF-EcoLife 6-speed automatic transmission for low life-cycle costs and highest passenger comfort. With up to 2,000 Nm it transmits significantly more torque than a standard powershift transmission and is consequently designed for long service life as well as fuel-saving operation: The EcoLife transmissions are, by default, programmed with the topography-dependent TopoDyn Life control software. Due to the gear change being controlled by the shifting program, the engine is always driven in the optimal speed range which also significantly reduces fuel consumption, noise emission, and wear on the engine. In addition, it provides very high passenger comfort due to its smooth gear changes.

Free flow of passengers

The Nova Bus manufacturer refers to the ZF Group’s know-how for all three axles: The RL 85 A front axle facilitates a nearly level access and is especially easy to maintain. The buses are driven by the AV 132 T drive low-entry axle. As central axle, the AVN 132 non-driven low-floor portal axle is installed: It facilitates a floor height of only 355 millimeters. Due to ZF dampers, all axles are characterized by an extremely high level of low-noise operation; a feature that is particularly important in city buses with rather limited sound insulation options.