Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 7980-7999

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 7980-7999 were 2002 NABI 40C-LFW CNG (040C.02) buses built in 2002-2004.

Engine	Transmission	Seating	Destination Sign
Detroit Diesel Series 50G	Allison B400R 6 speed	38: USSC Aries	Luminator Horizon

History

Shortly before the assembly and delivery of 7600-7949 in mid-October 2001, the MTA board of directors approved a substitution of the last 20 units from their contract for 370 NABI low floor buses using a composite fiberglass shell, forming the basis of this series. Beforehand, there were delays after TPI and NABI got in a dispute over payment for the production of the composite shells which was settled during the same time. Their shells were built with a composite fiberglass material rather than stainless steel, making them much lighter than conventional vehicles. Components for the buses had to be shipped from the United States to Hungary where they were installed and were then shipped back to the USA for delivery. NABI was unsuccessful to streamline the composite process which added delays for assembling the vehicles, meaning that the entire series had been built in a span of around 15 months (winter 2002 to spring 2004), far past the supposed deadline of no later than June 30, 2002 as done with 7600-7949. The interior has been noted to have a slight incline in the floor in between the low-floor passenger seating section and front portion including the driver's area and front door, possibly as an assist for boarding and exiting wheelchair passengers.

All units were likely originally delivered in the Metro Bus 'yellowjacket' paint scheme (units 7984-7985, 7990 and 7993 confirmed) with only 7984-7985 actually being used in service in their original look and were repainted shortly afterwards at Metro's CMF to either the Metro Local or Rapid liveries, with the latter being short-lived, used on some units (7982, 7987-7988). The buses had structural and mechanical problems; at one point half of this series were put out of service and were stored while the rest were at Division 8.

The CNG tanks from this series expired on January 1, 2016. Retirement began in 2010, with three units permanently pulled out of service resulting from visible body cracks; the rest of this series were replaced by the 2015-2016 New Flyer Xcelsior buses alongside the retanked 2000-2001 New Flyer and NABI buses. They were later stored at Division 12 prior to auction in 2017-2019.

Details

Fleet Number	Thumbnail	Build Date	VIN	License Plate(s)	Paint	Garage	Status/Disposal	Notes
7980		12/2002	1N940C0292A140145	1184066		Division 1	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019.	Pulled from service summer 2011. Returned to Service in May 2012. Repainted in September 2013. Frequently used on lines 62 and 460. Original build plate was replaced with a NABI Bus LLC-style build plate.
7981		2002-2003	1N940C0202A140146	1184065		Division 2	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off on February 18, 2017	Pulled from service in summer 2011. It later returned to service in May 2012.
7982		3/2003	1N940C0222A140147	1184067		Division 3	Retired Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019.	Originally painted in the Metro Rapid livery in late 2004. Pulled from service in summer 2011. It later returned to service in May 2012. Original build plate was replaced with a NABI Bus LLC-era build plate.
7983		2003	1N940C0242A140148	1190805		Division 5	Retired Auctioned off on February 18, 2017	Pulled from service in 2010 and had visible body cracks. Returned to service circa 2015.
7984		2002-2003	1N940C0262A140149	1158807		Division 5	Retired in 2016. Auctioned off on February 18, 2017 A salvage record was likely noted.	Pulled from service in 2010. Returned to service in 2015.
7985		12/2002	1N940C0222A140150	1158808			Retired in 2010. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019. Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	First unit painted in the Metro Local paint scheme in 2003. Stored at Division 12. Believed to have a cracked frame.
7986		3/2004	1N940C0242A140151	1326668 (prev. ?)		OCI Training Bus	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019. Bought by an unknown operator/owner. A new license plate was issued.	Pulled from service in 2010 and was believed to have a cracked frame. Returned to service as a training bus only.
7987		3/2003	1N940C0262A140152	1184068			Retired in 2010. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019.	Stored at Division 12. Originally painted in the Metro Rapid livery.
7988		4/2003	1N940C0282A140153	1184069		Division 2 - 12/2014	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019.	Originally painted in the Metro Rapid livery. Pulled off of service in 2010. It was stored at Division 12 for 3 years. Returned to service in 2014.
7989		7/2003	1N940C02X2A140154	1184070		OCI Training Bus	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019. Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Pulled from service in summer 2011. Returned to service in May 2012.
7990		2002-2003	1N940C0212A140155	1184071		Division 7	Retired in 2016. Auctioned off on February 18, 2017 A salvage record was likely noted.	Unlike the other buses, it was never pulled from service.
7991		4/2003	1N940C0232A140156	1184072			Retired in 2010. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019. Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Last seen as at LACMTA Central Maintenance Facility (CMF) in 2010.
7992		2002-2004	1N940C0252A140157	1190827		Division 1	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off September 16, 2017 Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Used as training bus in 2010. Pulled from service in summer 2011. It was then taken out of Division 12 to be repainted as of 12/11/2012 and later returned to service in January 2013. Frequently used on lines 62 and 460.
7993		3/2003	1N940C0272A140158	1184073		Division 8	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019. Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Pulled from service in summer 2011. It later returned to service in May 2012.
7994		2/2004	1N940C0292A140159	1190828		Division 9	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019. Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Pulled from service in summer 2011. Returned to service in May 2012. Pulled from service in summer 2017.
7995		2002-2004	1N940C0252A140160	1184074		Division 7	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off on September 16, 2017 Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Pulled from service in 2010; it had numerous breakdowns while in service. Returned to service in 2015.
7996		2002-2004	1N940C0272A140161	1367887 (prev. ?)		Division 1	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off on September 16, 2017 Scrapped; a junk record was noted.	Pulled from service in summer 2011. It later reentered service in May 2012.
7997		2002-2004	1N940C0292A140162	1326669 (prev. ?)		Division 15	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off on September 16, 2017 A salvage record was likely noted.	Pulled from service in summer 2011. It later reentered service in May 2012. Repainted prior to entering service again.
7998		2002-2004	1N940C0202A140163	1184090		Division 18	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off on September 16, 2017 A salvage record was likely noted.	Unlike the other units from this series, it was never pulled from service. Was frequently in service.
7999		7/2003	1N940C0222A140164	1184136		OCI Training Bus	Retired in 2017. Auctioned off at Ken Porter Auctions on March 16, 2019.	Was pulled off of service in 2010 and was placed in storage at Division 12. Returned to service in 2014 after a repaint and repairs. Used as a training bus only.