Friday, March 28, 2014

Long Beach, BYD Motors Cancel Electric Bus Deal

Chinese electric car and bus manufacturer BYD Motors said Thursday that it has agreed to mutually terminate a contract with the Long Beach Transportation Company, for ten electric buses for the city. The withdrawal comes as a result of the Federal Transit Administration withdrawing funding due to issues over compliance with goals for purchasing from disadvantaged businesses. The contract had been worth $12.1M; Long Beach is expected to reopen bidding on the contract. BYD--which has said it would be building its buses in Lancaster--has been stumbling a bit in its work with federal agencies, including running afoul of labor laws in hiring workers for its Los Angeles offices.

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