Committee forwards $101.7 million MTA midlife overhaul contract with Complete Coach Works

The Budget & Finance Committee on a positive recommendation forwarded a resolution authorizing the Municipal Transportation Agency to sign an agreement with Complete Coach Works to perform midlife overhauls on a mix of standard and articulated 40‑ and 60‑foot hybrid and electric trolley coaches.

Julie Kirshbaum of the SFMTA told the committee the overhaul program is intended to extend the useful life of the fleet, improve reliability and reduce breakdowns. She said the contract covers the midlife renovation of 219 buses and that the contractor will work with New Flyer, the original manufacturer, to streamline engineering. Kirshbaum described the procurement as the result of multi‑year planning, outreach and a rescoping after a prior solicitation drew no responsive bids.

Nick Menard of the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s office told the committee the contract cost is about $101.7 million and that the total Phase 1 program — including 112 in‑house overhauls — is approximately $154.8 million. Menard said sources for Phase 1 include federal and regional transit revenues and developer fees, and noted MTA must identify roughly $7.3 million of contingency funding in a May revision to its capital plan.

Vice Chair Safaei questioned whether developer fees derived from specific southeast projects (Mission Rock, Pier 70, Potrero Power, Schlage Lock) were an appropriate citywide funding source. Jonathan Rouers, the MTA acting chief financial officer, responded that the city’s transportation sustainability fee (TSF) and project development agreements allow midlife overhaul work as an eligible use and that many of the overhauled routes serve those developments. Rouers said the contract itself is fully funded with cash on hand and that the $7.3 million is an estimated contingency that may be covered by the fleet reserve, scaling internal work, or other capital plan adjustments.

Gary Chang, SFMTA transit staff, outlined the technical scope under the contract, which includes propulsion, hybrid systems, engines, traction motors, door systems, surveillance, axle and suspension work, drivetrain components, flooring and driver‑area refurbishment. He said 60‑foot articulated coaches will also receive joint‑section rebuilds and bike‑rack upgrades.

A member of the public who called in, David Pilipel, asked that the MTA presentation be posted in Legistar and questioned the sequence of City and MTA actions; he said he supported the overhaul work. The committee voted to forward the resolution to the full board with a positive recommendation.

The next procedural step is consideration by the full Board of Supervisors; MTA staff said if approved the contractor will build and test the first bus before ramping to production at approximately 8–12 vehicles per week, with the contract expected to wrap up in summer 2025.