The Neoplan An440 is a mass transit bus model introduced by Neoplan USA in 1981.
The 40-foot buses made for over 50 transportion networks all over the USA.
The bus rapid transit networks that have them in service are SEPTA (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and LAMTA (Los Angeles).
History
Back in 1982, Neoplan made a order for over 1000 buses for the state of PA. By 1989 the largest transportion network in PA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ended up with 1092 Neoplan An440s. The later Neoplan AN440s are still in rugged operation today in Philadelphia.
The Neoplan AN440 has had its share of problems as a design. In the 1980's, WMATA Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority , also known as Metro, and PAT Port Authority Transit in Pittsburgh complained about frame problems with their Neoplan coaches. However, today, they both run new Neoplan buses - WMATA with the 60ft Neoplan AN460 (the 60ft version of the AN440) and PAT with AN460s and AN440LFs (the low floor version of these buses).
In today's transit world
The Neoplan AN440 is still being produced today. In fact, Westchester County's bus service, Bee-Line, is ordering new Neoplans to replace their older buses, and New Jersey Transit is considering the AN440 as their newest addition to the fleet.
For more information about the Neoplan AN440 bus, visit Neoplan USA's AN440 webpage at http://www.neoplanusa.com/products/AN440T.html .
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