Grand River Transit expands BRT fleet with an order from New Flyer

WINNIPEG, Dec. 20, 2017 /CNW/ - (TSX: NFI) New Flyer Industries Canada ULC ("New Flyer"), the Canadian subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc. ("NFI Group"), the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, today announced that Grand River Transit ("GRT") has awarded New Flyer with a contract for 39 Xcelsior^® clean diesel forty-foot, heavy-duty transit buses, and nine Xcelsior^® clean diesel forty-foot, bus rapid transit (BRT) style heavy-duty transit buses. The order, which incorporated nine new BRT-style buses, converted 39 buses from the option backlog to the firm order backlog.

The purchase, supporting scheduled vehicle replacement, also supports the construction and expansion of GRT's rapid transit network consisting of ION (which means "going" in Greek) light rail and ION bus rapid transit. Public Transit Infrastructure Funds (PTIF) was used to support the purchase. The 39 buses have been delivered to GRT, with the remaining 9 BRT buses scheduled for delivery in 2018.

"We are proud to support fleet rejuvenation for Grand River Transit, as well as the introduction of BRT buses to its ION transportation network," said Paul Soubry, President and Chief Executive Officer of NFI Group. "GRT has exemplified leadership in helping to grow the Canadian public transportation footprint, and we commend them on an innovative, multi-modal expansion in the southern Ontario region."

Formed in 2000, Grand River Transit provides transit service in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, St. Jacobs and New Hamburg, operating conventional buses, an express bus network, busPLUS service for community routes, and door-to-door transit service for riders with disabilities using specialized vehicles. It operates 70 routes covering more than 16 million kilometres and supporting a ridership of nearly 20 million each year.

The NFI Group has over 85 years of experience manufacturing buses in Canada, and is focused on advancing vehicle innovation through development of Canadian-based intellectual property and removal of barriers to adopting zero-emission vehicles and autonomous driving technologies.

About NFI Group

NFI Group and its subsidiaries comprise the largest bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, with 32 fabrication, manufacturing, distribution, and service centers located across Canada and the United States and employing nearly 6,000 team members.

NFI Group provides a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under several brands: New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), MCI^® (motor coaches), and NFI Parts™ (bus and coach parts, support, and service).  NFI Group's vehicles incorporate the widest range of drive systems available ranging from clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, trolley-electric, battery-electric and fuel cell.

• New Flyer is North America's heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product line under the Xcelsior^® and Xcelsior CHARGE™ brands. New Flyer actively supports over 44,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 6,400 are powered by electric and battery propulsion.
  
  
• ARBOC is North America's low-floor, body-on-chassis ("cutaway") bus leader serving transit, paratransit, and shuttle applications. With more than 2,500 buses in service, ARBOC leads the low-floor cutaway bus market providing unsurpassed passenger accessibility and comfort over traditional high-floor cutaway vehicles. ARBOC also offers a medium-duty bus for transit and shuttle applications.
  
  
• Motor Coach Industries is North America's motor coach leader offering the J-Series, the industry's best-selling intercity coach for 11 consecutive years, and the D-Series, the industry's best-selling motor coach line in North American history. Motor Coach Industries is also the exclusive distributor of Daimler's Setra S 417 and S 407 motor coaches in the United States and Canada. MCI actively supports over 28,000 coaches currently in service.
  
  
• NFI Parts is North America's most comprehensive parts organization, providing replacement parts, technical publications, training, service, and support for NFI Group's bus and motor coach product lines.

Further information is available at www.newflyer.com, www.arbocsv.com, and www.mcicoach.com. The common shares of NFI Group are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of the NFI Group that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services, customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses, the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential impact of these factors, NFI Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

SOURCE New Flyer Industries Inc.