Contact: Jay Banasiak, Transit Services Director
: JBanasiak@wichita.gov
: (316) 268-4802

Contact: Scott Culbertson, President of Chance Coach, Inc.
: (316) 779-7700

The City of Wichita is pleased to launch a new era in public transportation for our City - an era that continues to focus on our citizens but will also concentrate on comfort and convenience. Wichita's transit system is a key to this community and we are pleased to be able get such quality right here in Wichita, designed and built by Chance Coach.

As you know, Wichita has been named an All-American City three times because of our quality of life - and Wichita's public transit system is woven into the tapestry of that quality of life. For the City, these 5 new Opus buses mark the beginning of our replacement program, one that will replace 75 percent of our bus fleet over the next seven months. They will allow Wichita Transit to update its older fleet and expand its services. The low-floor style of the Opus makes it easier to get into with a smaller step up. Plus, there will be more room for wheelchair bound citizens. They have a modern design, are more comfortable and offer lower fuel and maintenance costs that will lower overall operating expenses.

Today could not be possible without the assistance of our State & Federal governments. The City of Wichita worked with the Federal Transit Administration to receive federal funds to provide 80 percent of the funding for the Opus buses. The remaining 20 percent was paid for by the Kansas Department of Transportation. For this assistance in fully funding the 232,000 dollars needed to purchase each bus, the City of Wichita is truly thankful.

With the City of Wichita's new operations and garage center opened in 1999, and our new bus replacement program well under way, the future for transit in Wichita has taken an extremely positive turn. Future plans continue to add services and development that will add up to improved mass transit for the citizens of Wichita. These Opus buses today lead that charge.