Chicago Transit Authority to overhaul 208 long buses

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Chicago Transit Authority will overhaul 208 buses in its fleet. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday the $54 million plan is part of his proposal to modernize the nation's second-largest public transit system.

The CTA is targeting hybrid "articulated" buses. These are single-deck buses which are two rigid sections attached by a pivoting joint. They serve some of the busier bus routes in the city.

The transit agency has put into service a nearly all-new bus fleet. It includes purchasing more than 500 new buses and overhauling more than 1,000 others to expand their lifespans.

CTA President Dorval R. Carter says the articulated vehicles undergoing "gut rehab" have an average 260,000 miles. Officials say after the work, 94 percent of the CTA fleet will be new or like-new.