New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking proposals to manufacture 650 compressed-natural-gas buses, the agency’s largest single bus-fleet upgrade since 2013.
The solicitation covers low-floor, 40-foot buses for New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Co. It is funded entirely through the MTA capital program. The procurement is valued at more than $100 million, but the notice does not provide a more precise estimate.
The MTA held a virtual pre-proposal conference Sept. 14. Proposals are due Oct. 19 under solicitation B40722. The notice lists a 12-year contract term, and the authority has indicated that it could divide the order among multiple manufacturers.
The solicitation is being conducted through the MTA’s new Rolling Stock Program, a centralized effort established in early 2026 as the authority prepared for billions of dollars in bus and railcar purchases. The program uses more performance-based specifications, allowing manufacturers to propose alternative designs and delivery approaches while the MTA evaluates reliability and costs over a vehicle’s full life.
The approach is intended to replace overly prescriptive specifications that can limit manufacturers’ ability to offer different technical solutions. Dividing large orders among manufacturers could also expand production capacity and help the authority place vehicles into service more quickly.
One of the program’s first major procurements was launched in March, when the MTA sought proposals for as many as 2,390 R262 subway cars. The authority described that solicitation as potentially the largest railcar order in its history.
The new buses will replace aging CNG vehicles already operating in the fleet. Once the entire order has been delivered, the vehicles will account for more than 10 percent of the MTA bus fleet and serve routes carrying more than 1 million passengers each day.
The scale of the procurement reflects the role buses play in New York City. The MTA places more than 4,900 buses into service across 327 routes each weekday. Together, those routes record approximately 1.3 million passenger trips on a typical weekday. Its capital plan notes that a majority of New York City households do not own a car.
New York City Transit maintains approximately 4,600 buses, while the affiliated MTA Bus Co. operates about 1,300. Their combined fleet of roughly 5,900 vehicles is nearly three times the Chicago Transit Authority’s fleet of 2,012 buses.
Although New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Co. remain separate legal and budgetary entities, they function as an integrated city bus network with common fares, service information and MTA branding. The new contract would supply vehicles to both operations.
The order is part of the MTA’s $68.4 billion 2025–2029 Capital Plan. New York City Transit has budgeted $3.29 billion for 2,261 new buses and related equipment. That includes $849.1 million for 855 standard buses, $719.6 million for 556 articulated buses and $325.9 million for 350 express buses.
The plan separately allocates $797.1 million for 500 zero-emission buses, along with $589.4 million for charging infrastructure and $12.1 million for bus technology. The MTA Bus Co. has an additional $453.7 million program that includes 243 replacement buses, depot improvements, engineering and technology.
The CNG purchase will proceed alongside the MTA’s transition toward a zero-emission fleet. Approximately 30 percent of the standard buses purchased under the current capital plan are expected to use CNG, while the authority expands its battery-electric fleet and installs charging equipment at bus depots.
The MTA anticipates that all new bus purchases will be zero-emission beginning in 2029, with the entire fleet converted by 2040. In the interim, the authority describes CNG as a less expensive and lower-emission alternative to diesel as the electric-bus manufacturing market and charging network continue developing.
The authority offsets the natural gas used by its buses with renewable natural gas produced from methane captured at sources such as landfills and farms. It also expects CNG buses to require less maintenance and reduce its exposure to changing diesel prices.
The MTA brings the city’s buses and subways, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad under one regional authority. Broader planning is coordinated through the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. That differs from Illinois’ recent move to strengthen coordination of the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace under the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
Photo by Kara Gulak from Pexels
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