Philadelphia received eighteen refurbished Proterra all-electric buses, and the transit authority assigned them to run on a long-dormant trackless trolley system (Route 29 - Tasker Street, Morris Street; Route 79 - Snyder Avenue). They were yanked off the street VERY quickly - their frames were cracking, and Proterra didn’t have a clue as to how to fix the issue.
My agency, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, was the launch customer of the Proterra Catalyst BE35 back in 2018. DART bought 7 units using federal grant money. I've only driven it once, around a city block when I was in training. We have overhead chargers at the Dallas Convention Center where the buses take their recovery time. We've had multiple issues with 18 wheelers entering the bus lane for whatever reason, hit the charger head, and damaging it.
Got 13 protera gen 1 buses for our Foothill Transit line 291 13 out of service don't stay charged, overheat, part issue. 13 of our 2000s series out of service. We are using NABI CNG ON A ROUTE THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ALL ELECTRIC ⚡
Out here in Cleveland, the RTA tested Proterra buses and Hydrogen buses a few years ago and ultimately decided against them. We're going CNG out here and phasing out the remaining Clean Air Diesel buses. The battery buses and Hydrogen buses were not able to do some of the hills on Broadview & State Ads out in North Royalton and Seven Hills suburbs. And in the winter some of those hills and roads can be sheets of ice. I don't see a way for them to bring battery buses ever to our area. The roads are a pothole haven, especially after the winter and all the salting of the roads...
I've driven a 35 and 40 foot Electric Proterra Bus at Transit Authority River City. The 40 foot buses are assigned to route 4 and the 35 foot buses were assigned to routes 77 and 1 before the Covid Pandemic. Now the 35 foot buses have been parked since 2020 because routes 1 and 77 have been eliminated which were free of charge to ride to all passengers.
Just started working for First Transit! Love your videos man, I’m brand new to the Bus Driver Life and have learned a lot from your videos while training. Soooo thankful I don’t have to do fairs at my location 😅. Keep rocking bro!
Usually when those kind of buses get wet that's it we had some of those down here there where in service only for two years and and now they're just sitting at the garage
I am not a bus driver, so I can't comment on what these buses are like to drive... but as a passenger, the Proterra is absolutely miserable. You feel absolutely every single little bump in the road, the motors are anemic such that on one of the routes that I take on a regular basis, the bus barely moves faster than 20-25 up a hill on a road with a 55 limit (yeah, good luck staying on schedule with that), the shifting on the transmission is incredibly jarring, and the HVAC is undersized for the bus, so it gets really cold in the winter and really hot in the summer. Completely unrelated, I miss the pull cords for stop requests. Our agency phased them out over the last few years in favor of push strips and while they look "cooler" they aren't as practical.
If Energizer or Duracell were to make a battery car would you buy it? No. Proterra has suckered the City of Madison, Wisconsin to buy 4! One driver hit a pothole and “whoopsie” it didn’t run smoothly after that. It took almost 8 hours to get it towed back to the garage. Now we are down to 3 dust collectors sitting in the garage.
2:01 Wow! That’s a rare sign LOL 😂. I really love the rule signs on the inactive electric buses, however, I do agree with when you said that a lot of people eat and drink on the bus because I also see it all the time and the times that the driver tells them not to, that only rarely happens. We also have electric Gillig buses too, however, 1 of the bus’s battery died so it’s at the garage and it hasn’t been active for a while either. Also, I’m not sure if I rode a Proterra electric bus before, I would love to one day
@@bend8353 Considering how much has been saved on diesel, I think we can afford it. “The annual fuel cost savings are estimated at $8.5 million, and the maintenance savings, over a five-year period, are estimated at $2 million.”
Agency I work for is just started testing these. I have not driven it yet. Our rules changed 3 years ago. People are now allowed eat and have drinks. Of course, they leave their garbage on the bus. Thought the 'no firearms' sticker was funny. I wonder has anyone seen that, and then got off because they were packing. :)
Have had a few people bring a baseball bat, machete and a gun. Told them you can't board and they get all butt hurt. Sorry but the bus a DMZ or neutral zone. Our government people say it's okay to bring drinks, disagreeing with them on that. People are pigs.
@@ronnie_5150 Once I was traveling from Reno to Carson City had a guy break out his sleeping bag like it was his home laid it out across the back seats and removed his shoes. He didn't make the trip I booted his butt of the bus. Another time same route I had the CS employee from the government agency I work for ride the bus with me. He was doing an audit and we had one tweaker screaming and yelling at me while I'm cruising down the highway at 65 mph. The CS guy said sit down and shut the F up, first stop is yours. Never would I have thought he would curse. We almost had to Call LEO.
I can’t say I have a lot of faith in the all electric busses. I drive in San Francisco which is loaded with hills which takes more power to climb. They’ve only got a few electric busses (not counting their trolley busses) and I just wonder how long they will last. I won’t complain about the wrap around ads tho. I really like when I get one of those busses because then I can hide from people waiting during my layover 😏
The funny thing is, in Charlotte (CATS) we have 15 electric buses. 7 Gilligs, and 7 new flyers. I love the Gilligs. Super fast and quiet. The New flyer have a service break that hold the bus in place when ever stopped. So, in order to take off you have to depress the brake first. It's weird and take a minute to get use to. As far range I think it depends on the driver. You get a good 4 hours before recharge for 8 hours.
Yeah but cats just recently got rid of the new Flyers, i like those because they drive much better and ride much better than the battery-electric gillig. Be feeling like I'm driving the wagon, I feel every bump, the new Flyers wasn't like that and it's a much better looking bus and it's heavy, the new Flyers is what a bus supposed to be, that's just me. Now don't get me wrong, I do like the Gillig's, the original Phantoms, advantages & the original BRT's.
We have a handful of protera busses. I'm not a fan, underpowered for the hills here in Duluth, MN, crapped drivers area, and a poor heating system... so poor that they had to install a thermal king diesel engine in this electric bus just for the heating making it an electric vehicle with an exhaust pipe.. dumb. oh and they seem to always be broke down or the charging stations always seem to be not working.
SEPTA had those ProTerra buses to replace the Tracklesses in South Philly, and they’re not even running those. They should’ve gotten the XE40s. (SRT out in SacTown should’ve gotten some Xcelsior CHARGE buses)
Might as well use protera for garbage truck that's what they are. Least My first experience with them. They don't hold a charge supposed to be Used on all electric line built a charging station which always was down. So bad we were using CNG NABI on a electric bus Line. We scrapped protera and got hydrogen fuel cells buses
We had 23 of them. All are now removed from service. So there you have it. Yes they were Protera. We called them Ecoliners foothill transit 2000-2023 we do have 2600s larger than 2000s and newer but our latest buses were hydrogen fuel cell 3100 in fact the charging station at Pomona transcenter was dismantled and taking off line
My city got a couple Proterra electric buses and, other than being zero-emission and having rear windows (and sounding cool), I find the rider experience worse in every way. The ones we have don’t give any type of “Stop Requested” indication so people end up nervously yanking the pull cord repeatedly right before their stop thinking it’s broken Plus they don’t have any audio or visual GPS location announcements and some of the windows are fully obstructed by the bus wrap. It makes it pretty difficult to ride at night even when I know the route very well
Same. The Proterra buses in my city don’t produce any sort of audible sound or visual signal when the Stop Request cord is pulled, so people repeatedly pull the cord over and over again thinking that it’s broken, not knowing that the Stop Request light on the driver’s dashboard has indeed lit up and the driver does know to stop. I hope this issue is fixed soon, or else the Stop Request cords might need replacing prematurely from being pulled so hard so many times!
Vancouver has four battery electrics (two Nova, two New Flyer), with 15 more Nova LFSe+' on the way. Seem to be pretty OK buses. I do think that TransLink is making a good call on ordering CNG buses, along with BAE hybrids.
In New Haven, CT we too have electric buses. They cost the company 1-2 million per bus and we have about 10. I too was not trained on an electric bus so I had to learn as I went along. Even though I am a millennial for the life of me I did not know how to turn it on or if it was even on. Just putting the bus into drive took me about five minutes to figure out. Also the bus can only go for about 6 hours or 175 miles in a day before it needs to charge and we basically don't have our own power grid so they take all night to charge. I've had it die on me not even 10 minutes after leaving the garage. The only saving grace is that she's quick and if I'm at a light for more than 5 seconds the brakes go into anti lock so that way i can rest my foot, but when i'm ready to go i have to tap both the brake and gas in order to take it off anti lock, so ehh they're okay, just a huge waste of money that could've gone to "essential workers"
I remember one of our New Flyer XE40 bus in Chicago caught a fire which is why they don't buy them anymore because CTA is done buying New Flyer Industries.
My system has 4 of them they got them In the devils year(2020-2021) they are the worst buses they have. It’s almost to the point to where a 2001 gillig low floor is much more quiet. You can be on the smoothest of the roads and it will still rattle like hell. I think our agency gave up on electric because all the buses they got after that are the lovely sounding cng gillig brt buses
Im surprised those two 2019 Proterra buses that are out of service still have the security cameras.Im sure what they do there but my transit company always removes the cameras and reintall on another bus. Since the bus that is out service or retired will no longer be used
I don't like the "wrap" they have on the bus. My city has advertising wrap on all its buses and it makes it hard to see out the window. I know the city is doing it for the ad revenue but I would like to look out the window and get a better view. Thanks for the video.
We had protest too on foothill transit line 291 Pomona CA to LA Verne CA via Garey Ave mechanical issues taken out of service. Good news a update we got 3100s hydrogen fuel cell buses. So far much better than protera. Telling you bro don't buy protera.
Tallahassee Fla, just bought a few Proterras and we are a "Number one City" in environmental concerns. Yesterday Proterra started filing for chapter 11. I guess our City Manager and Mayor, didn't know of the fire hazards? They are very costly--- are we able to maintain 'em ? How stupid
Maybe being used for spare parts? Or, cost to replace rear door more than cost of bus? Or, these 2 were the first ones to have the batteries lose 40% of their storage capacity, which would cost twice the original cost of the entire bus. So much for California's war on gasoline & diesel vehicles!
I driven one once. Very short turning radius . Very low ground clearance, annoying low air warning buzzer. I personally not a big fan of proterra, but I'll settle for a electric Gillic bus.
Here in Philly SEPTA has around 20 of them. All of them are sidelined because of a structural issue and Proterra won't fix the issue. Needless to say SEPTA is stuck with them for now.
The Proterras look very thin-boned compared to the good old Orions. I wonder how the chassis is handling the roads... Also this kind of wasting of money (=buying and then not running them) happens elsewhere too, unfortunately. I don't know why the issues weren't resolved under warranty.
The Proterras are actually a pretty nice ride. They don’t rattle and squeak as much as some other buses do (ahem, Nova) and they’re very quiet. But of course you pay for that… $1M or more per bus
Looks like you guys are having issues with your Proterra buses too. We have 25 2017 Proterra buses that were out on just only 2 bus routes even though a couple were seen operating on another bus route. The buses were silently put out of service and hasn't been in service since 2017. Most likely defects and electrical issues were found during the time being. No word on whether these buses will be placed back into service. Thank you for sharing your Proterra buses.
I’ve heard so many similar stories about Proterras. It seems like the new flyer or Gillig electric buses are better.. I haven’t heard as many complaints about those.
All nyc buses still use the cord to request a stop in addition to the buttons on the poles. Tbh, I think these Proterra buses are ugly. We have some in New York for dedicated airport service. I've driven the all electric New Flyer XE60s and they're amazing but we only have 15 of them as of now
Proterra buses are junk. I just retired last year after 34 years in public transit. I started as Coach Operator/Bus driver DOT trainer. Promoting to Maintenance dept. as a Maintenance Supervisor. I ended my last 8 years a Division Maintenance Superintendent. I had experience with Gasoline, Diesel, CNG. Hydrogen and Electric buses. Out of all these the Electric buses were the worst especially the Proterra. Constant electrical issues, Programing issues, poor build quality, Poor reliability. Poor range especially in unusual cold and hot days. The climate control rapidly reduces the range. You can include night driving when all the interior and lights also reduce the battery range. Parts took forever arrive. Customer support was also very poor.
The XD60s by NJ Transit (the company I use to ride on) also have those pull cords & they’re easier to get on just like these buses that you drive. The only thing I don’t like about them is the ground being too low. I prefer sitting in the NABIs (especially the old ones) more because you get a better view outside the window sitting down inside since the ground is a little higher.
@@nobody_5201 I said dead not extinct, meaning new high floors are not being sold anymore. I'm still wondering what NJ Transit will replace the NABIs with when they retire. Plus they got those XD60s because there simply weren't any hf artics available to replace the Neoplans with. I like hf buses too I kinda which they were still optional in NA instead of being fully phased out
@@tgosuke, I don’t want them to retire. I’ve rode them for so many years & I don’t want it’s life to end. Just recently, NJ Transit started using the XD60s for the route 119. I don’t know if they’re necessarily replacing the NABIs, but they are still using them. The other bus routes are still using the NABIs like the 87 & 88C.
Looks like it’s probably a scrap bus since it’s sitting there. I would’ve try to start it to see if it’s actually broken, lol. I feel like gas powered buses would be better to use than electric ones because they seem like they would have more mechanical issues. Older buses are the way to go compared to newer made ones. They’re more durable & have more character unlike the newer ones.
Our Foothill Transit 2000 protera buses so far not working out well for us got generation 2 2600s but those are in Arcadia Yard and some are used on Duarte E bus Line 860/861 my City of POMONA is stuck with those old 2000s 13 which can't be used
That’s a total waste of $2mm in tax payer money. Why don’t they send it back to Proterra to get it fixed rather than have it sitting collecting dust and dying? That’s $4 going to wasted for 2 out of service busses. Should still have warranty. Could this be considered a lemon if it broke down so quickly? If so then the county needs to do something about it because California and federal has lemon laws.
I heard from the news that they took these proterra buses out of service, because of frame cracking problems and batteries bursting into flames and they went bankrupt. See what happens when Transit companies try to take the easy Road, it never goes well. They've been dealing with diesel & CNG buses all these years, why change up? there's an old saying, the wheel ain't broke, why fix something that ain't broken. God knows I'm telling the truth.
The doors on subway cars that slide into the walls are called pocket doors. The doors on these Proterra buses are similar, but they’re called plug doors. The difference is that plug doors pop out from the side of the vehicle and slide along the exterior, while pocket doors simply slide in a straight line into the walls.
Glad to see our Protera buses replaced by hydrogen fuel cell the 3100s are much nicer Foothill transit buses than the 2000 "Ecoliners"should of been called Trashliners that's what they were total garbage.
Keep driving the regular busses the proterra is junk we have 4 busses not in service due to batterys and drivetrain issues the charging statinns dont work either you not missing anything they didnt drive a whole day without a charge the lasted about 8 maybe 10 hours afrer that need switch out..
We have a Proterra bus just like this and it has been totally unreliable
Philadelphia received eighteen refurbished Proterra all-electric buses, and the transit authority assigned them to run on a long-dormant trackless trolley system (Route 29 - Tasker Street, Morris Street; Route 79 - Snyder Avenue).
They were yanked off the street VERY quickly - their frames were cracking, and Proterra didn’t have a clue as to how to fix the issue.
Wow!!
The ones we Used to have in Pomona CA were garbage back to the drawing board with protera at least the 2000s
ProTerra filed Chapter 11 yesterday.
"unnecessary conversation with bus driver is prohibited by law" LMFAO
🤣
Hilarious
Lol…. and they still talk to me
That genuinely makes me sad
My agency, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, was the launch customer of the Proterra Catalyst BE35 back in 2018. DART bought 7 units using federal grant money. I've only driven it once, around a city block when I was in training.
We have overhead chargers at the Dallas Convention Center where the buses take their recovery time. We've had multiple issues with 18 wheelers entering the bus lane for whatever reason, hit the charger head, and damaging it.
Protterra just filed Bankruptcy 😆
Thanks for doing this video, the comments are incredibly valuable.
uwu
@@jankay8569 You knew about this video and didn’t tell me? 😂
even more so now! GO WOKE - GO BROKE
Got 13 protera gen 1 buses for our Foothill Transit line 291 13 out of service don't stay charged, overheat, part issue. 13 of our 2000s series out of service. We are using NABI CNG ON A ROUTE THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ALL ELECTRIC ⚡
Out here in Cleveland, the RTA tested Proterra buses and Hydrogen buses a few years ago and ultimately decided against them. We're going CNG out here and phasing out the remaining Clean Air Diesel buses. The battery buses and Hydrogen buses were not able to do some of the hills on Broadview & State Ads out in North Royalton and Seven Hills suburbs. And in the winter some of those hills and roads can be sheets of ice. I don't see a way for them to bring battery buses ever to our area. The roads are a pothole haven, especially after the winter and all the salting of the roads...
I've driven a 35 and 40 foot Electric Proterra Bus at Transit Authority River City. The 40 foot buses are assigned to route 4 and the 35 foot buses were assigned to routes 77 and 1 before the Covid Pandemic. Now the 35 foot buses have been parked since 2020 because routes 1 and 77 have been eliminated which were free of charge to ride to all passengers.
Just started working for First Transit! Love your videos man, I’m brand new to the Bus Driver Life and have learned a lot from your videos while training. Soooo thankful I don’t have to do fairs at my location 😅. Keep rocking bro!
Thanks and welcome to the bus driver life! I’m glad the videos have been helpful!!!
First Group you mean?
@@Mgameing123 Nope, First Transit.
@@TimmyT1996 ok
@@Mgameing123 First Transit used to be owned by FirstGroup but they aren't anymore
We have three in RI (RIPTA) purchased in 2019. Just sit in the yard as well. they breakdown constantly! Junk!
Our Protera buses early retirement at least the First batch we got
Usually when those kind of buses get wet that's it we had some of those down here there where in service only for two years and and now they're just sitting at the garage
Probably taking parts off for the remaining running fleet.
septa in philadelphia has 24 proterras , they been outta service since 2020 cuz of frame cracking
The turning radius is very stiff too
I think they keep that bus for parts
Lots of these buses were put out of service due to lack of parts across the us and being unreliable
I am not a bus driver, so I can't comment on what these buses are like to drive... but as a passenger, the Proterra is absolutely miserable. You feel absolutely every single little bump in the road, the motors are anemic such that on one of the routes that I take on a regular basis, the bus barely moves faster than 20-25 up a hill on a road with a 55 limit (yeah, good luck staying on schedule with that), the shifting on the transmission is incredibly jarring, and the HVAC is undersized for the bus, so it gets really cold in the winter and really hot in the summer.
Completely unrelated, I miss the pull cords for stop requests. Our agency phased them out over the last few years in favor of push strips and while they look "cooler" they aren't as practical.
If Energizer or Duracell were to make a battery car would you buy it? No. Proterra has suckered the City of Madison, Wisconsin to buy 4! One driver hit a pothole and “whoopsie” it didn’t run smoothly after that. It took almost 8 hours to get it towed back to the garage. Now we are down to 3 dust collectors sitting in the garage.
2:01 Wow! That’s a rare sign LOL 😂. I really love the rule signs on the inactive electric buses, however, I do agree with when you said that a lot of people eat and drink on the bus because I also see it all the time and the times that the driver tells them not to, that only rarely happens.
We also have electric Gillig buses too, however, 1 of the bus’s battery died so it’s at the garage and it hasn’t been active for a while either.
Also, I’m not sure if I rode a Proterra electric bus before, I would love to one day
Wow these American buses really look so old, our trains from 1980 have the same-looking roof.
😢
I rode a Proterra or I think it was when I went to see my girlfriend in SC and WOW REALLY nice and quiet!
We’re about 95% Nova CNG now, with about 15% New Flyer diesels remaining to be replaced. Our CNG fueling station is the largest in North America.
Have fun in the winter when CNG will be double of what it was last year :(
@@bend8353
Considering how much has been saved on diesel, I think we can afford it.
“The annual fuel cost savings are estimated at $8.5 million, and the maintenance savings, over a five-year period, are estimated at $2 million.”
Agency I work for is just started testing these. I have not driven it yet. Our rules changed 3 years ago. People are now allowed eat and have drinks. Of course, they leave their garbage on the bus. Thought the 'no firearms' sticker was funny. I wonder has anyone seen that, and then got off because they were packing. :)
Have had a few people bring a baseball bat, machete and a gun. Told them you can't board and they get all butt hurt. Sorry but the bus a DMZ or neutral zone. Our government people say it's okay to bring drinks, disagreeing with them on that. People are pigs.
@@RenoBusdriver Yup. I've gone back at the end of a trip, and it looks like they were having a picnic.
@@ronnie_5150 Once I was traveling from Reno to Carson City had a guy break out his sleeping bag like it was his home laid it out across the back seats and removed his shoes. He didn't make the trip I booted his butt of the bus.
Another time same route I had the CS employee from the government agency I work for ride the bus with me. He was doing an audit and we had one tweaker screaming and yelling at me while I'm cruising down the highway at 65 mph. The CS guy said sit down and shut the F up, first stop is yours. Never would I have thought he would curse. We almost had to Call LEO.
I can’t say I have a lot of faith in the all electric busses. I drive in San Francisco which is loaded with hills which takes more power to climb. They’ve only got a few electric busses (not counting their trolley busses) and I just wonder how long they will last. I won’t complain about the wrap around ads tho. I really like when I get one of those busses because then I can hide from people waiting during my layover 😏
We have 12 2021 New Flyer BEB’s where I work and they aren’t very reliable. The battery doesn’t hold enough of a charge to last an entire service day.
Same issues in Pomona CA
The funny thing is, in Charlotte (CATS) we have 15 electric buses. 7 Gilligs, and 7 new flyers. I love the Gilligs. Super fast and quiet. The New flyer have a service break that hold the bus in place when ever stopped. So, in order to take off you have to depress the brake first. It's weird and take a minute to get use to. As far range I think it depends on the driver. You get a good 4 hours before recharge for 8 hours.
Yeah but cats just recently got rid of the new Flyers, i like those because they drive much better and ride much better than the battery-electric gillig. Be feeling like I'm driving the wagon, I feel every bump, the new Flyers wasn't like that and it's a much better looking bus and it's heavy, the new Flyers is what a bus supposed to be, that's just me.
Now don't get me wrong, I do like the Gillig's, the original Phantoms, advantages & the original BRT's.
We have a handful of protera busses. I'm not a fan, underpowered for the hills here in Duluth, MN, crapped drivers area, and a poor heating system... so poor that they had to install a thermal king diesel engine in this electric bus just for the heating making it an electric vehicle with an exhaust pipe.. dumb. oh and they seem to always be broke down or the charging stations always seem to be not working.
SEPTA had those ProTerra buses to replace the Tracklesses in South Philly, and they’re not even running those. They should’ve gotten the XE40s. (SRT out in SacTown should’ve gotten some Xcelsior CHARGE buses)
I really love the old school busus
Bro!!!!! I finally found your page! Half our Proterras are having this SAME issue!!! Them Proterras are trash
Welcome!! I’m hearing nothing but bad things about the Proterra buses! 😬
Are the CapMetro Proterras really having a lot of issues? They’re brand new! I personally like the New Flyer electrics a lot more.
@@OliversElevators Yes and no, it has its days they are all out in the streets and somedays they are all down
I agree protera is garbage buses
Might as well use protera for garbage truck that's what they are. Least My first experience with them. They don't hold a charge supposed to be Used on all electric line built a charging station which always was down. So bad we were using CNG NABI on a electric bus Line. We scrapped protera and got hydrogen fuel cells buses
These buses were having cracked chassis’s and unavailable parts across the country the bus was designed poorly getting stuck on hills and unreliable
We had 23 of them. All are now removed from service. So there you have it. Yes they were Protera. We called them Ecoliners foothill transit 2000-2023 we do have 2600s larger than 2000s and newer but our latest buses were hydrogen fuel cell 3100 in fact the charging station at Pomona transcenter was dismantled and taking off line
My city got a couple Proterra electric buses and, other than being zero-emission and having rear windows (and sounding cool), I find the rider experience worse in every way. The ones we have don’t give any type of “Stop Requested” indication so people end up nervously yanking the pull cord repeatedly right before their stop thinking it’s broken
Plus they don’t have any audio or visual GPS location announcements and some of the windows are fully obstructed by the bus wrap. It makes it pretty difficult to ride at night even when I know the route very well
Same. The Proterra buses in my city don’t produce any sort of audible sound or visual signal when the Stop Request cord is pulled, so people repeatedly pull the cord over and over again thinking that it’s broken, not knowing that the Stop Request light on the driver’s dashboard has indeed lit up and the driver does know to stop. I hope this issue is fixed soon, or else the Stop Request cords might need replacing prematurely from being pulled so hard so many times!
Do the buses in your city actually have an onboard computer? Because that thing handles the gps and audio announcements
Vancouver has four battery electrics (two Nova, two New Flyer), with 15 more Nova LFSe+' on the way. Seem to be pretty OK buses. I do think that TransLink is making a good call on ordering CNG buses, along with BAE hybrids.
They need to get rid of those damn trolley's. lol :)
@@ronnie_5150 Why? There the best.
No they're not bad buses, it's proterra the one's that ain't got their stuff together.
In New Haven, CT we too have electric buses. They cost the company 1-2 million per bus and we have about 10. I too was not trained on an electric bus so I had to learn as I went along. Even though I am a millennial for the life of me I did not know how to turn it on or if it was even on. Just putting the bus into drive took me about five minutes to figure out. Also the bus can only go for about 6 hours or 175 miles in a day before it needs to charge and we basically don't have our own power grid so they take all night to charge. I've had it die on me not even 10 minutes after leaving the garage. The only saving grace is that she's quick and if I'm at a light for more than 5 seconds the brakes go into anti lock so that way i can rest my foot, but when i'm ready to go i have to tap both the brake and gas in order to take it off anti lock, so ehh they're okay, just a huge waste of money that could've gone to "essential workers"
The anti lock is actually called a hill lock and locks all 4 wheels. Really nice when on steep incline. I still cover the brake as it's habit.
I remember one of our New Flyer XE40 bus in Chicago caught a fire which is why they don't buy them anymore because CTA is done buying New Flyer Industries.
NYC just got some in. Selective depots. The first time they got them in they didnt work out well. But they are back guess they fixed the bugs.
In fact 2008 dashboard caught on Fire 🔥 so not a huge fan of protera buses
My system has 4 of them they got them
In the devils year(2020-2021) they are the worst buses they have. It’s almost to the point to where a 2001 gillig low floor is much more quiet. You can be on the smoothest of the roads and it will still rattle like hell. I think our agency gave up on electric because all the buses they got after that are the lovely sounding cng gillig brt buses
These buses hurt my knee.they don’t turn like the gilligs and the horn is jacked. After while it will cause pain.
We have 10 right now. They have been sitting for over 1 year.
Proterra just filled for bankruptcy !!
Im surprised those two 2019 Proterra buses that are out of service still have the security cameras.Im sure what they do there but my transit company always removes the cameras and reintall on another bus. Since the bus that is out service or retired will no longer be used
I don't like the "wrap" they have on the bus. My city has advertising wrap on all its buses and it makes it hard to see out the window. I know the city is doing it for the ad revenue but I would like to look out the window and get a better view. Thanks for the video.
We had protest too on foothill transit line 291 Pomona CA to LA Verne CA via Garey Ave mechanical issues taken out of service. Good news a update we got 3100s hydrogen fuel cell buses. So far much better than protera. Telling you bro don't buy protera.
Tallahassee Fla, just bought a few Proterras and we are a "Number one City" in environmental concerns. Yesterday Proterra started filing for chapter 11. I guess our City Manager and Mayor, didn't know of the fire hazards? They are very costly--- are we able to maintain 'em ? How stupid
My city just order Proterra ZX5 for DDOT and SMART. We gonna purchase more Gillig BRT 40 diesel buses for 2023.
Maybe being used for spare parts? Or, cost to replace rear door more than cost of bus? Or, these 2 were the first ones to have the batteries lose 40% of their storage capacity, which would cost twice the original cost of the entire bus. So much for California's war on gasoline & diesel vehicles!
yep, i miss those old buses like the new looks, grumman 870/flixble metro and rts, even the gillgs and new flyers were better than this mess.
I driven one once. Very short turning radius . Very low ground clearance, annoying low air warning buzzer. I personally not a big fan of proterra, but I'll settle for a electric Gillic bus.
Here in Philly SEPTA has around 20 of them. All of them are sidelined because of a structural issue and Proterra won't fix the issue. Needless to say SEPTA is stuck with them for now.
Wow!! That’s crazy! They were really pushing those buses on a lot of transit systems too!
*25 of them.
And actually Proterra did fix them.
@@blue9multimediagroup But look at how long it took them to actually fix them, they've been sitting for a few years now.
Passenger got pissed because someone made him pay Bus fare. Hence the missing rear door.
The Proterras look very thin-boned compared to the good old Orions. I wonder how the chassis is handling the roads... Also this kind of wasting of money (=buying and then not running them) happens elsewhere too, unfortunately. I don't know why the issues weren't resolved under warranty.
The Proterras are actually a pretty nice ride. They don’t rattle and squeak as much as some other buses do (ahem, Nova) and they’re very quiet. But of course you pay for that… $1M or more per bus
Looks like you guys are having issues with your Proterra buses too. We have 25 2017 Proterra buses that were out on just only 2 bus routes even though a couple were seen operating on another bus route. The buses were silently put out of service and hasn't been in service since 2017. Most likely defects and electrical issues were found during the time being. No word on whether these buses will be placed back into service. Thank you for sharing your Proterra buses.
Yup these buses were known for being unreliable
I’ve heard so many similar stories about Proterras. It seems like the new flyer or Gillig electric buses are better.. I haven’t heard as many complaints about those.
Are you talking about SEPTA?
@@blue9multimediagroup yes
I remember those pull chords
Although I do love those logos
Like when you post content like this. And i have seen a simular type of bus roaming around where i live too.
All nyc buses still use the cord to request a stop in addition to the buttons on the poles.
Tbh, I think these Proterra buses are ugly. We have some in New York for dedicated airport service. I've driven the all electric New Flyer XE60s and they're amazing but we only have 15 of them as of now
Proterra buses are junk.
I just retired last year after 34 years in public transit. I started as Coach Operator/Bus driver DOT trainer. Promoting to Maintenance dept. as a Maintenance Supervisor. I ended my last 8 years a Division Maintenance Superintendent. I had experience with Gasoline, Diesel, CNG. Hydrogen and Electric buses. Out of all these the Electric buses were the worst especially the Proterra. Constant electrical issues, Programing issues, poor build quality, Poor reliability. Poor range especially in unusual cold and hot days. The climate control rapidly reduces the range. You can include night driving when all the interior and lights also reduce the battery range. Parts took forever arrive. Customer support was also very poor.
The XD60s by NJ Transit (the company I use to ride on) also have those pull cords & they’re easier to get on just like these buses that you drive. The only thing I don’t like about them is the ground being too low. I prefer sitting in the NABIs (especially the old ones) more because you get a better view outside the window sitting down inside since the ground is a little higher.
High floor city-buses are dead in America sadly
@@tgosuke, they aren’t. I see them running in my area.
@@nobody_5201 I said dead not extinct, meaning new high floors are not being sold anymore. I'm still wondering what NJ Transit will replace the NABIs with when they retire. Plus they got those XD60s because there simply weren't any hf artics available to replace the Neoplans with.
I like hf buses too I kinda which they were still optional in NA instead of being fully phased out
@@tgosuke, I don’t want them to retire. I’ve rode them for so many years & I don’t want it’s life to end. Just recently, NJ Transit started using the XD60s for the route 119. I don’t know if they’re necessarily replacing the NABIs, but they are still using them. The other bus routes are still using the NABIs like the 87 & 88C.
Looks like it’s probably a scrap bus since it’s sitting there. I would’ve try to start it to see if it’s actually broken, lol. I feel like gas powered buses would be better to use than electric ones because they seem like they would have more mechanical issues. Older buses are the way to go compared to newer made ones. They’re more durable & have more character unlike the newer ones.
That’s quite the time capsule.
Our Foothill Transit 2000 protera buses so far not working out well for us got generation 2 2600s but those are in Arcadia Yard and some are used on Duarte E bus Line 860/861 my City of POMONA is stuck with those old 2000s 13 which can't be used
$13 Million - just sat there - decaying
you don’t want to drive them garbage cans - VTA has 10 and only 1 in service 🙃. the driver’s seat area is the smallest too. 😬
Everyone says the drivers area is cramped. I’m 6’2 so it definitely would not work for me more than likely. 😳
Love your videos, 😂❤
Thank you!
That’s a total waste of $2mm in tax payer money. Why don’t they send it back to Proterra to get it fixed rather than have it sitting collecting dust and dying? That’s $4 going to wasted for 2 out of service busses. Should still have warranty.
Could this be considered a lemon if it broke down so quickly? If so then the county needs to do something about it because California and federal has lemon laws.
Proterra have been in financial 'issues' since 2012.. you can't get blood out of a stone
I see it’s got that Tesla build quality
What do you mean by that?
Ours was small and cramped door sometimes had trouble opening and wouldn't stay charged
Electric is the way to go🤪
Not when they keep breaking down
From what I've heard these have bad build quality. I can only hope the New Flyer Electric Buses we're getting in Nassau fare better.
Man you need videos in the garage those the sweet ones to see what goes on in the terminal
I heard from the news that they took these proterra buses out of service, because of frame cracking problems and batteries bursting into flames and they went bankrupt.
See what happens when Transit companies try to take the easy Road, it never goes well.
They've been dealing with diesel & CNG buses all these years, why change up? there's an old saying, the wheel ain't broke, why fix something that ain't broken.
God knows I'm telling the truth.
In LA metro buses we have buttons
I always agree with you about this bus bro.
There’s probably something wrong with the door
Einstein lives!!
Keywan what's the background music called?? it's litteraly so soothing and calm
The outro song is “running errands” by tracktribe.
@@BusDriverLife No no i meant the music that was playing throughout the video the rap beat music i like it it's so soothing and calm
We got 80 of them down 🤣🤣
@@raymondwilliamsjr5896 wow!!
In 2023, Proterra has declared bankruptcy. And it is acknowledged that the buses are not reliable.
A broken potato!
I absolutely despise Proterra buses. They are not made for any convenience to the rider or operator in the slightest. It's atrocious.
I never been on them before
How much do you make a year ?
How are you supposed to monitor the connect card with the tap screen way back there? If it doesn’t scan, you have to call them back to the farebox.
It pops up on our clever device screen that’s in front of us..BUT idk why they put the connect boxes behind us.
How responsible of them with their Proterras.
Wait is it me or the back door can go inside the the bus wall like a subway door 🤨🤔
The doors on subway cars that slide into the walls are called pocket doors. The doors on these Proterra buses are similar, but they’re called plug doors. The difference is that plug doors pop out from the side of the vehicle and slide along the exterior, while pocket doors simply slide in a straight line into the walls.
What's the point of electric ⚡💡 if the electric bus doesn't stay charged?
To me, the Proterras look like 40-foot potatoes on wheels.
Here in Austin Texas metro has 4 Protera all electric buses. I hate them with a passion there poorly designed.
What state are you from? And city. Gillig sucks. They goes bang in the rear.
Stranger things ...
Don't do it bro. Don't drive the Protera.
Glad to see our Protera buses replaced by hydrogen fuel cell the 3100s are much nicer Foothill transit buses than the 2000 "Ecoliners"should of been called Trashliners that's what they were total garbage.
Keep driving the regular busses the proterra is junk we have 4 busses not in service due to batterys and drivetrain issues the charging statinns dont work either you not missing anything they didnt drive a whole day without a charge the lasted about 8 maybe 10 hours afrer that need switch out..
Hi
Not a fan of em
I know that they went out of business. We have some to. And the bill to run them is not good.
ask you boos if you can drive one
Proterra are GARBAGE..
TTC drivers HATE THEM,
Of course it's broken joe biden once said how great they were 😅