Grande West Transportation Group

Grande West Transportation Group
Public
Traded as TSX-V: BUS
Industry Manufacturing
Automotive
Founded 2008 (2008)
Founder William Trainer
Headquarters Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada
Area served
 Canada, United States
Key people
 William Trainer - CEO
Products Heavy-duty transit buses
Number of employees
 25[1]
Website www.grandewest.com

Grande West Transportation Group is a Canadian bus manufacturer headquartered in Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada.

History

In 2008, BC Transit and Ottawa's OC Transpo issued a Requested for Proposal (RFP) for heavy-duty, mid-size buses from the major bus manufacturers. These companies either had no interest in producing such a bus or did not have capacity. As a result, Grande West was founded that same year, led by businessman William Trainer. The company built key partnerships with BC Transit and tailored their proposed bus designs to the agency's needs. Grande West worked closely with management and engineers with BC Transit to understand requirements and specifications of the Vicinity. The company initially targeted the niche demand for green, compact buses in the North American market with their 27.5 foot bus.

In October 2011, BC Transit placed an initial order for 15 Vicinity-model buses valued at $3.8 million. The first Vicinity buses were delivered on August 30, 2013 While the buses were designed by Grande West, they were manufactured in Yangzhou, China by Yaxing Motor Coach. Grande West went public with the initial public offering (IPO) at the end of 2013.[2][3]

In 2015, Grande West entered a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with Weichai Power to explore the possibilities of mutual bus development under the Weichai Group. The objective is to increase sales and distribution in North America. At the time of the LOI, Weichai Group was already part of the manufacturing process as they provided assemblies and the uni-body frame.[4] Final assembly is located in Aldergrove.[1]

The Vicinity buses meet the Buy America requirements in the United States allowing the sales of buses to government public transit agencies. This allows Alliance Bus Group, the exclusive distributor for the US, to bid on all public transit projects in the United States. The deal with Alliance Bus Group was finalized in May 2015 with the first orders placed four months later for 50 30-foot buses.[5][6] Along with the Buy America requirements, the Vicinity 30 foot model passed the Altoona Testing Program in Altoona, Pennsylvania. All new bus models used for mass transit revenue service and purchased with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds must complete an Altoona Test.[7]

Bus models

Model Length Width Introduced Engine Transmission Notes Photo
Vicinity[8] 27.5 feet (8.4 m)
30 feet (9.1 m)
35 feet (11 m)		 98.4 inches (2.50 m) 2008 Cummins ISB6.7 6.7 litre, 220 hp ZF 6HP504C - Ecomat 4
(2009 - 2014)

ZF 6AP1002B - Ecolife
(2015–present)
  • Capacity:
    - 23 seated + 16 standees
    - 24 seated + 18 standees
    - 31 seated + 18 standees
  • Advantages:
    - Low Floor
    - Small Platform
    - Light Weight
    - Cost Effective
 -

References

  1. 1 2 "Profile Corner: Grande West Finds Its Niche". Township of Langley. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Prospectus - IPO" (PDF). Grande West Transportation Group. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Gail Johnson (29 November 2016). "Bus maker in B.C. succeeds by reinventing the wheel". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Grande West LOI With Weichai Power". Grande West Transportation. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "Grande West's Vicinity Bus achieves Buy America certification". Metro. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Ahmad Shaath (30 January 2017). "Watch Your Blind Spot,BUS is Flying in the Vicinity" (PDF). Beacon Securities Limited. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "Grande West's Vicinity bus passes Altoona Testing". Metro. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Vicinity Vehicle Overview
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