Orion V Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 I heard their production has been temporily halted; why is that? Will they continue or go out of production after <2 years! What happen to the systems that ordered the RTS Legend currently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general682002 Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 I heard their production has been temporily halted; why is that? Will they continue or go out of production after <2 years!What happen to the systems that ordered the RTS Legend currently? There having issues with the production problem, resulting in a temporary hold until it's solven. I belive in a case they may lose alot of their employees, leaving them out of work. What happens for the system who ordered their product? It's call lawsuit, NJT for example! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 There having issues with the production problem, resulting in a temporary hold until it's solven. I belive in a case they may lose alot of their employees, leaving them out of work.What happens for the system who ordered their product? It's call lawsuit, NJT for example! Its safe to say the NJT order is done and never gonna be full filled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQ RIDE Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 MTS has filed for bankruptcy over a month ago, and since then, there has been no information on what is their fate. Their website is still up, however, the website hasn't been updated at all. In addition to the loss of the NJT contract, the company has also lost contracts with Santa Fe Trails of Santa Fe, New Mexico and Beaumont Municipal Transit of Beaumont, Texas. I am not sure what Beaumont has ordered after the cancellation with MTS, however, Santa Fe Trails ordered ElDorado EZ-Rider II MAX CNG buses. ABQ RIDE director Greg Payne has actually spoke to MTS before in effort to use local labor, however, the company's product lineup failed to meet ABQ RIDE's specifications, which called for low-floor diesel-electric hybrid buses. Pecos Trails Transit (the local TA in Roswell, New Mexico) has a few TMC RTS buses in their fleet along with several cutaways. Those TMC buses will soon need replacement. Like ABQ RIDE's former RTS buses, the RTS buses of Pecos Trails Transit are not equipped with wheelchair lifts. I have heard that Pecos Trails Transit was going to order buses from MTS, however, now that MTS has filed for bankruptcy, that is now up in the air. I wonder who will MTS order from now. Gillig seems to be friendly to smaller TAs. Pecos Trails Transit is the fourth largest city transit authority in New Mexico, after ABQ RIDE, RoadRUNNER Transit (Las Cruces, NM), and Santa Fe Trails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Board Admin A. Wong Posted October 27, 2008 Board Admin Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 I don't think that their website has been updated since it first was put online. I wouldn't be surprised if they are officially gone. I never really had faith that they would take off - the RTS model is "outdated" in a sense, just like the Eagle coach (now produced by Silver Eagle). People will stick with the names they know like New Flyer or NABI or Motor Coach Industries for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQ RIDE Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 I don't think that their website has been updated since it first was put online.I wouldn't be surprised if they are officially gone. I never really had faith that they would take off - the RTS model is "outdated" in a sense, just like the Eagle coach (now produced by Silver Eagle). People will stick with the names they know like New Flyer or NABI or Motor Coach Industries for example. The only thing that I think has been changed is the copyright date at the bottom of the page. Everything else though is still the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtltransitguy Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 It's too bad they didn't better market the Extreme, it would have been great to see some companies with entire fleets of that model. I'm sure many companies would have gone for it once it was proven. The problem is that MTS wasn't really that great at marketing, and in general wan't that well managed. It's too bad, because I love the RTS, and I would have loved to ride on a 'new' one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQ RIDE Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 It's too bad they didn't better market the Extreme, it would have been great to see some companies with entire fleets of that model.I'm sure many companies would have gone for it once it was proven. The problem is that MTS wasn't really that great at marketing, and in general wan't that well managed. It's too bad, because I love the RTS, and I would have loved to ride on a 'new' one. From what I have heard, MTS only produced a shell for the Extreme, but never actually built a running demo. That is at least what Greg Payne told me, but I can't confirm this for sure. If MTS put more resources into the RTS Extreme rather than the RTS Legend, they could have gotten more orders. They could have even gotten an order from ABQ RIDE if they offered the RTS Extreme in a diesel-electric hybrid variant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Transit Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 MTS did have an Extreme RTS demo model at the 2005 APTA Transit Expo in Dallas, in 2005. I'm not sure if they built it or NovaBus. Also, can we all stop beating a dead horse, MTS couldn't afford to build an order for NJ Transit,so what makes everyone think they could have afforded to build and market the more expensive Extreme bus? MTS--Legend--Extreme--Evolution--R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtltransitguy Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 MTS did have an Extreme RTS demo model at the 2005 APTA Transit Expo in Dallas, in 2005. I'm not sure if they built it or NovaBus. Also, can we all stop beating a dead horse, MTS couldn't afford to build an order for NJ Transit,so what makes everyone think they could have afforded to build and market the more expensive Extreme bus? MTS--Legend--Extreme--Evolution--R.I.P. That was a major problem with MTS, lack of financing, you can't have a company with no money try and operate as if they do...it was a sad story from day 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMETROFan Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 From what I have heard, MTS only produced a shell for the Extreme, but never actually built a running demo. That is at least what Greg Payne told me, but I can't confirm this for sure. If MTS put more resources into the RTS Extreme rather than the RTS Legend, they could have gotten more orders. They could have even gotten an order from ABQ RIDE if they offered the RTS Extreme in a diesel-electric hybrid variant. Since too many drivers here in Houston may have liked the RTS so much, MTS may have gotten an order from METRO for---I wished this were to happen---an RTS Extreme hybrid bus. Oh well---whatever happens to MTS---just happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTS_04 Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 MTS did have an Extreme RTS demo model at the 2005 APTA Transit Expo in Dallas, in 2005. I'm not sure if they built it or NovaBus. Also, can we all stop beating a dead horse, MTS couldn't afford to build an order for NJ Transit,so what makes everyone think they could have afforded to build and market the more expensive Extreme bus? MTS--Legend--Extreme--Evolution--R.I.P. It was different from the Nova LF prototype; it was a 40' bus, not a 42.5'. The bus wasn't running at APTA, but was eventually brought up to spec and (supposedly) brought to Altoona. I've yet to see results, though the HF results are on the website. They couldn't afford the "build first, cash later" mentality of federally-funded operations, but they did build a few for private firms (notably Texas A&M) who could provide cash up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Board Admin A. Wong Posted October 29, 2008 Board Admin Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 The initial pictures of the RTS Extreme looked kind of fake. But it was obviously real, being at the Trans-Expo. The interior was ridiculous I thought, with the ceiling lowering with the lower part of the bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. McConnell Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 The interior was ridiculous I thought, with the ceiling lowering with the lower part of the bus. The NABI CompoBus (okay, Metro 45C) has a similar configuration due to the CNG tanks being seamlessly incorporated into the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallspy Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 The NABI CompoBus (okay, Metro 45C) has a similar configuration due to the CNG tanks being seamlessly incorporated into the roof. As does the Invero, due to the equipment in there. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQ RIDE Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I was wondering, has anyone heard any recent news on Millennium Transt? I looked on Google News and found nothing. However, their website is still up. If MTS is officially defunct, I am wondering two things. First, how would it affect the warranty on the MTS buses used in Pueblo, Colorado? As far as I know, there are the only public transit authority that uses them; most of the buses rejected by NJT ended up with private operators. Also, Pecos Trails Transit in Roswell will soon need a replacement for their aging TMC RTS fleet (which lack wheelchair lifts). I have heard that PTT placed an order for some MTS buses in effort to use local labor, however, the order was suspended due to MTS' financial condition. I personally think the most logical option for them would be to order buses from Gillig, as they are known to be friendly to small TAs. MTS should have went with the same strategy, rather than trying to compete with New Flyer/Orion/NABI for large TA orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTS_04 Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Have a call into my contact at Pueblo; I'm pretty sure MTS is defunct. In my contact's opinion (he's the maintenance super), the parts supply wasn't too big of an issue in his eyes. Much of the forward half of the bus can be rebuilt/replaced with typical RTS parts (especially those of a late-model Nova); HVAC is standard-issue Thermo King; powertrain shouldn't be an issue, either. Ironically, MTS' selling point that the RTS has been an industry standard will be one of the few things keeping these buses alive - aside from some under-module work to accommodate the T-drive, the rest is virtually stock RTS, and parts are still (somewhat) readily available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D40-90 Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Theres no hope in MTS. RIP!! I liked how they tried to bring the RTS back. Oh well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Transit Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 I posted info about MTS over a month ago, if anyone was paying attention. I found a news item on a business news website, that reported that MTS's majority owner, James Ludvik floated a $31.5 million loan, to keep MTS afloat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTS_04 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 I posted info about MTS over a month ago, if anyone was paying attention. I found a news item on a business news website, that reported that MTS's majority owner, James Ludvik floated a $31.5 million loan, to keep MTS afloat. Yes, we were. He's done that before too, once when the NJT fiasco struck and Les Kolls et company flew the coop. That's been quite a while, and I haven't seen the company stabilize itself and become viable yet again. As I've said about this whole economic mess here in the US: you can throw money at a problem all you want, but unless the underlying cause isn't truly fixed, you'll just waste your money. I'm really suspect about what, if anything, is happening down in Roswell - unless people can actually name sources that say otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Transit Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 I'm going to send an e-mail to the state of NM, to see if they can provide any news, about the situation, When, I hear anything, I'll post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Transit Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 If anyone is interested, I sent an e-mail to the NM state Ecomonic Development Dept., last week...I received a response today...despite constant rumours, MTS is still in business...the spokesperson who sent me the reply, said that they hope to get several international bus assembly contracts. Also, they'll be involved with a solar energy project with the city of Roswell(part of the federal stimulus bill), to built solar panels. So, it looks like the RTS model is officially dead here in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. McConnell Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 Didn't MTS have an order for buses for Honduras? Unless this fell through (not surprisingly)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Transit Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 This still may happen or it did already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Transit Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Good news for all of you RTS enthusiasts...Millennium Transit has updated their website...still marketing the "Legend" and "Extreme" models...check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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