City looks into ‘other options’ for ART buses
Vehicles delivered late, with multiple problems
The water keeps getting hotter for Build Your Dreams bus company, which was supposed to deliver the four remaining Albuquerque Rapid Transit buses by Thursday.
“We are left with little choice but to start exploring other options regarding the bus provider and the size and type of buses that will work best for Albuquerque riders on the new system,” Albuquerque Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Rael said in a news release.
The 20 fully electric, 60-foot articulated buses worth nearly $23 million were originally to be delivered by Oct. 4 of last year.
That deadline was extended to Feb. 22.
“Here we sit, Feb. 23, and we’re still short buses,” he said in an interview.
BYD spokesman Joshua Hernandez said in a statement that the current delays are due to the company’s external supply chain.
“Nonetheless, we have succeeded in delivering 16 of the 18 contractually required buses,” Hernandez said.
The other two buses were to be provided at no charge.
BYD had also promised to have each of the 20 bus charging stations certified by Feb. 15 — another missed deadline — but they were provision-
ally certified for use on Wednesday.
“We do appreciate Mayor (Tim) Keller’s focus on making sure this project is done right,” Hernandez said. “ART is great, and we are proud to be part of it. Although it has been a challenging project — one that Mayor Keller inherited — we remain committed to doing right by the city.”
Of the 16 buses received, the city has identified multiple problems, including panels that have cracked and axle hubs that are leaking.
Rael said a letter of liquidated damages was sent to BYD on Friday.
According to the contract, a $275-a-day fee would be assessed to BYD for each bus not delivered “in substantially good condition” by the stipulated deadline.
Rael said BYD owes $801,000 in damages.
“BYD continues to provide moving targets and has not addressed significant quality concerns,” Keller said in a statement. “We will formally put the company on notice about the lack of compliance and the potential for compensatory damages.”
Rael said he’s working to set up a meeting with BYD.