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This article was published 14/7/2017 (1164 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New Flyer Industries believes strong market demand, aging fleets and a solid order book and backlog will be enough to keep its production facilities busy this year.

The release of the company's second-quarter order and backlog report late Thursday confirms its previous forecast. The manufacturer expects to deliver 3,750 buses this year, adding 100 vehicles to the number provided in its first-quarter report.

In the second quarter ending July 2, the company delivered 991 buses, an increase of 79 compared to the second quarter last year, and an increase of 99 over this year's first quarter. New Flyer ships buses from plants in Winnipeg, two in Minnesota and one in Alabama and highway coaches from its Motor Coach Industries division from Winnipeg and Pembina, N.D.

The company continued to bring in more firm orders and options than new buses shipped in the second quarter, which demonstrates overall growth in the company's total backlog.

At the end of the quarter New Flyer's total backlog was 9,901 buses (valued at US$5.04 billion) compared to 9,984 (valued at US$5.09 billion) at the end of the first quarter and 10,010 (valued at US$5.24 billion) at the end of the second quarter.

Buses using clean propulsion systems — natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric-trolley and battery-electric — represent about 59 per cent of the total backlog. Zero-emission buses — battery-electric, fuel-cell and electric-trolley — represent approximately 5.9 per cent of the backlog.

New transit bus and coach orders in the second quarter totalled 958, compared to 708 for the first quarter and 1,428 for the second quarter last year. The orders included new firm orders for 888 (valued at US$448.7 million) and 70 new options (valued at US$31.4 million).