SPRINGDALE -- Ozark Regional Transit has added six new Ford vans to its fleet, but likely won't be able to replace some of the other aging small- to medium-sized buses anytime soon, transit officials said Thursday.
The buses in question, known as cutaway vehicles, were bought in 2017 and are reaching the end of their life cycle as per the Federal Transit Administration, according to Joel Gardner, the transit agency's executive director.
Cutaway vehicles consist of a bus body attached to a small- to medium-sized truck or van chassis. A cutaway vehicle is smaller than a conventional bus while providing more space, particularly for wheelchairs, compared to other small- to medium-sized options.
"The problem with us actually having the conversation about picking up new vehicles is the backlog," Gardner told board members Thursday. "I've talked to two of the cutaway manufacturers and, realistically, if we were to place an order today it would be two to three years before we got any new vehicles."
Gardner said he was told the backlog is due to supply-chain issues and labor shortages.
"We're going to take a serious look at extending the life of the vehicles," Gardner said.
The chassis, bodies and interiors of the current buses are good, Gardner said, but most have already had the engines and transmissions replaced once.
Gardner said he and the staff will explore the cost of replacing the drivetrains and suspensions in the buses in-house as the parts fail. The other option is to send the buses to an outside provider that would overhaul them.
"They would go tip to tail all the way through," Gardner said. "Which means they would go ahead and do the engine and transmission replacement, they would do everything on it."
Both scenarios would be eligible for federal grant money, and Gardner said he's evaluating both options.
Gardner said one manufacturer he talked with has more than 700 vehicles on order and waiting to be produced. They are looking at one to two years out for delivery even if they were fully staffed and had all the parts, he said.
"We will probably hang on to these cutaways much longer than what the expectation is and just start replacing spring sets, rear axles, front steering components just to keep them on the road."
The board did not have a quorum Thursday so no official action was taken.