The City of Gardena won’t be rolling out the same, tired line anymore. Line of buses that is, as the Gardena Municipal Bus Lines has officially changed its name to GTrans.
And with the name change comes the debut of the department’s new electric-powered buses. GTrans introduced two electric buses, with a plan to add more to its fleet in the future.
Before 200 invited guests at the Gardena transportation department Jan. 15, the new name and bus marked the bus lines 75th anniversary.
The City of Gardena won’t be rolling out the same, tired line anymore. Line of buses that is, as the Gardena Municipal Bus Lines has officially changed its name to GTrans.
And with the name change comes the debut of the department’s new electric-powered buses. GTrans introduced two electric buses, with a plan to add more to its fleet in the future.
Before 200 invited guests at the Gardena transportation department Jan. 15, the new name and bus marked the bus lines 75th anniversary.
The “G” in the Gtrans branding packs a double wallop, officials said. First to represent the hometown of Gardena, and second to reflect its go green, environmentally-friendly ideology.
Jack Gabig, Gardena Transportation director said the changes define the City’s vision toward collaboration and establishing a strong, renewed identity.
“We found the key to success was to be all-inclusive from the start,” Gabig said. “Our goal was to make this process collaborative so that everyone felt involved and a part of the revitalization of our brand.”
The buses were purchased from the manufacturer, BYD Motors.
“Gardena’s move to electric buses provides a ride that is quiet, with zero emissions, reduced hazardous waste, reduced dependence on petroleum and harnesses the sun to charge the buses without using electricity from the grid,” Macy Neshati, vice president of sales of BYD Coach and Bus said.
BYD reports that its buses can operate up to 24 hours on a single charge. The company has more than 2,000 electric buses in operation worldwide.
GTrans introduced its electric bus to the public at the Gardena King Day Parade in January. The bus glistened with its bright green and silver paint job, and showcased the GTrans logo. New security video cameras for added safety have also been installed. To top off a new era in bus riding, officials said the public will see a complete revamping of the website in March at RideGTrans.com.
