New Product Development

Millennium Transit has created a product development pipeline that addresses the key needs of the industry as well as the specific needs of our customers and their constituencies.  The following are a few key projects Millennium Transit has currently in progress.

RTS Extreme

In an effort to provide our core customer base with a complete product line enabling our individual customers to have the opportunity to purchase all their transit products from one source, Millennium Transit has committed to introducing the new RTS Extreme (low entry) bus in 2005.  The new low entry project includes designs for a 35’, 40’, 42.5’ low floor bus utilizing a T-drive engine configuration.  The RTS Extreme design incorporates a similar design philosophy as the RTS Legend, using a welded, modular stainless steel body construction.   The major objectives of the new bus design are to meet customer requirements including a more conventional rear centered T-drive engine offering, at a lower cost than comparable competitive products and provide larger engines, no rear facing seats and an increase in passenger seating capacity. The RTS Extreme is a standard rear drive high floor with a lowered middle and front section of the bus.  This lowered area allows the benefits of the low floor entry and exit, but also the standard driveline equipment.

Management is utilizing a product development program that incorporates a gate approval process.  The program involves stages where prototypes are designed and built and preliminary performance tests are conducted on the durability test track and on select customer routes.  Customer feedback sessions will be held and market surveys conducted to ensure key customer acceptance and retention for the new product.  The project includes review of documentation and testing data, vendor involvement startup, testing completion, production documentation development, quality standards, prototype builds and final reviews.  Millennium Transit’s strategy is to partner with a valued customer for the final testing and approval of the design.  Millennium Transit and the customer will agree to a pre-determined period of time to operate the vehicle on a test basis.  The customer will be involved in the design review process during development of the vehicle as well as post-delivery reviews.

The company has begun the development of the RTS Extreme. The vehicle will be placed into production in 2005 with sales beginning now.

RTS Evolution

The RTS Evolution offers the customer a full range of choices for their transportation needs.   It provides the customer with a smaller, lighter duty transit option, but continues to offer the RTS structure on top of a “Cut-away” chassis, purchased from other suppliers such as Ford Motor Company.   The Evolution is targeted for the transit market, which uses on-demand service or a Para transit service.  The Evolution also offers non-traditional customers such as hotels and airport shuttle customers a full ADA compliant bus not typically found in their market.  Production is anticipated to begin in 2006.