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This article was published 5/3/2012 (3129 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PAT MCGRATH / POSTMEDIA NEWS ARCHIVES The City of Ottawa plans to replace its aging fleet with these new articulated buses. Winnipeg has first dibs on the old buses that were traded in.

The used bendy buses Winnipeg wants to buy have been called "lemons" and were part of Ottawa's old fleet that had faulty parts that caused some buses to catch fire.

Last week, Winnipeg Transit announced it wants to spend $1.1 million to purchase the articulated buses at a discounted rate from New Flyer Industries after Ottawa traded them in for new buses. The buses will cost $53,000 each, instead of the $625,000 they would cost if purchased new.

In total, it will cost Winnipeg $2.2 million to buy and fix up the buses.

Ottawa used the buses between 2001 and 2004, and media reports show some of the articulated buses had defective parts and faulty brakes that caused some buses to catch fire. Last April, Ottawa city council voted to replace 226 of its bendy buses with newer, fuel-efficient models.

A City of Ottawa report said transit had a large backlog of work due to "major repairs" required on some of the 226 articulated buses purchased between 2001 and 2004. The report said it would cost transit $66 million to refurbish the buses.

One Ottawa city councillor called the buses "lemons," according to media reports. City of Ottawa spokesman Jocelyne Turner said it was a business decision not to refurbish the buses.

Winnipeg Transit director Dave Wardrop said Winnipeg will be able to have "pick of the litter" and select 20 of the best buses from the 226 Ottawa traded in. Wardrop said these buses were close to 10 years old and need to be refurbished to increase the number of years they can drive on city streets.

He said Ottawa decided to trade them in because of a financing deal the city worked out with New Flyer. Wardrop said any problems have been corrected by the bus manufacturer, and city mechanics will have a closer look at the buses if the deal is approved by city council.

"Whatever minor defects or difficulties that these particular buses have associated with them have since been corrected by the bus manufacturer New Flyer," Wardrop said. "'There isn't any single concern related to this bus (type) that stands out."

An administrative report recommends Winnipeg add 20 articulated buses to its fleet amid concern there are increasing instances where buses along busy routes have left would-be passengers behind because they're overcrowded.

Articulated buses, which are about 18 metres long, carry about 40 per cent more passengers than a regular bus. A new report said 16 bendy buses that operate seven hours each day would relieve many cases of overcrowding on Winnipeg's busiest transit routes.

Winnipeg Transit estimates it will cost $11,500 to fix up each bus.

Due to the work required, Winnipeg Transit will likely not put the buses into service before 2014. New Flyer has agreed to store the buses in a heated facility for two years, which will give Winnipeg Transit time to refurbish and outfit them.

Wardrop said Winnipeg purchases and fixes buses all the time, and it's not unusual to have industrial equipment in need of repair.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca