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NILES — Niles Dial-A-Ride Transportation is addressing its aging equipment.

The Niles City Council approved the purchase of a small bus from Hoekstra Transportation, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $145,216 to be used for Dial-A-Ride Transportation.

DART received Federal Transit Administration funding and state match through MDOT specifically for the purchase of a small bus. The purchase of this bus will help to ensure that the DART fleet is safe and comfortable for Niles area transit riders.

According to city officials, this was a previously-passed item from October 2020. All buses on state contracts got put on hold due to COVID, causing shortages of labor and parts.

DART buses are eligible for replacement every seven years or 200,000 miles. Bus 2 has exceeded its useful life in both mileage and years of service, and is therefore eligible for replacement.

DART has historically used the state extended purchasing program, MIDEAL, to purchase replacement buses because we have neither the expertise nor the resources to handle a local rolling stock (bus) procurement process, especially for only one vehicle. New buses are currently available through MIDEAL from Hoekstra Transportation, Inc. A small, 14-passenger bus with wheelchair lift and gasoline chassis is estimated at $145,216.