From left, Rhys Preston, plant manager for New Flyer Jamestown, gives Janno Lieber, chair and chief executive officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a tour of the New Flyer Jamestown Plant in September. Submitted photo

It looks like it is going to be a busy year or two for the New Flyer Plant located at 255 Fluvanna Ave., Jamestown.

The bus manufacturer that specializes in the production of municipality transit buses has been ramping up operations, in anticipation of producing zero emission buses for New York state and other states that have recently added more stringent emission requirements, along with filling backorders well into 2025 and 2026.

“We’re ramping up our production efforts to meet the current demand,” said Rhys Preston, Jamestown New Flyer plant manager. “We have a backlog of orders we’re filling.”

In a press release received from officials with New Flyer of America Inc., the company was awarded two new contracts from the New York City Transit Authority, including firm orders for 429 Xcelsior buses (671 equivalent units or EUs) with options to purchase up to 1,661 additional buses over the next five years. Additionally, officials also said that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority awarded the company a contract for the purchase of 460 460 next-generation Xcelsior Charge NG(tm) 40-foot battery-electric transit buses. In September, Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority toured the Jamestown plant.

“I’m beyond impressed with the level of professionalism and skill displayed at the New Flyer Jamestown plant. The plant is producing most of the emission free buses that New York State requires, and we intend to buy from within the state,” Lieber said.

Lieber also spoke about how the plant is adjusting to meet the new demands placed upon the workforce.

“I’m told they are going to hire several hundred more employees. New Flyer Industries are going to expand the current facilities to accommodate for the ramp up of production,” he said.

Part of the influx of orders for NFI, and specifically the Jamestown Plant, revolves around New York state’s goal of reaching 850,000 zero-emission vehicles by 2025, and for all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035.

“We are sparking New York’s transition to clean transportation by removing barriers to owning and charging an electric vehicle,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “It is not enough to encourage New Yorkers to buy electric – we must build green infrastructure that will drive New Yorkers to choose cleaner and greener modes of transportation. My administration will continue to advance our zero-emission transportation goals, and this legislation will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come.”

According to Hochul’s website, the state’s investments to ramp up clean energy including more than $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, those investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011, and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035.

“New Flyer in Jamestown is going to play a large part in the governor’s green energy plan. The plant and the company are on the forefront of this initiative,” said Lieber. “MTA has a daily ridership of approximately 3.6 million people on the subways, and buses have a daily ridership of 1.4 million, representing 68% and 63%, respectively, of the ridership levels. Now imagine how much less greenhouse gas emissions there will be when we start converting to electric modes of transportation. Imagine how much better the quality of air will be around the city and state.”