Seattle’s Sound Transit announced Monday it had ordered 33 zero-emission Enviro500EV buses from NFI Group subsidiary Alexander Dennis.
The double decker buses are scheduled for a 2026 delivery, and will be built in the United States by Alexander Dennis’ partner Big Rig Manufacturing. The order will introduce Alexander Dennis’ next-generation electric bus technology to North America, officials said.
“We are excited to once again be working with our long-standing customer Sound Transit in the Puget Sound region who have selected our Enviro500EV with next-generation technology for their new Stride bus rapid transit service,” Stephen Walsh, vice president for Alexander Dennis in North America, said. “The order was placed after we completed extensive route mapping exercises in conjunction with Sound Transit, using automotive-grade modelling to fully understand the operational requirements.”
The electric buses will serve the new Stride bus rapid transit (BRT), being developed by Sound Transit along Interstate 405 link communities around Lake Washington to one another and to light rail connections. Sound Transit was an early adopter of double decker buses and has a fleet of 50 Enviro500 buses on express routes operating out of Everett.
The Stride Enviro500EV is the first Alexander Dennis in North America using the manufacturer’s next-generation zero-emission technology platform. The buses combine the Voith Electrical Drive System with increased energy storage capacity and inductive opportunity charging from Pennsylvania-based InductEV to enhance range and operational performance.