The new MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coach went to Washington in late July as part of a march to the Capitol by the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL).
The council invited MCI’s D45 CRT LE to the Washington, D.C., march as the only participating vehicle in the annual event that draws more than 1,000 people with disabilities, disability advocates and allies, members of Congress and government officials.
According to NCIL Operations Director Tim Fuchs, “We’re featuring the D45 CRT LE at our Annual Conference on Independent Living, because we support this vehicle and the options it gives people with disabilities accessing OTR (Over the Road) and commuter buses.”
MCI closely considered NCIL’s feedback and all regulatory requirements when designing the vehicle, he said, adding the organization appreciated the new ideas that came from the process.
“There’s still much more to be done in regard to fully accessible mass transit, but we appreciate that MCI involved us from the beginning and then listened.”
The bus offers the first-ever, curb-level, low-entry vestibule Commuter Coach bus design. It also offers an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant retractable ramp for those with mobility devices, something the organization says significantly speeds up onboarding/offboarding.
The project produced 32 design concepts—aided by longtime MCI partner Designworks, a BMW Group Company—in the first top-to-bottom D-Series coach redesign in more than two decades. The bus design features a curb-level ramp, requiring minimal operator support. Passengers with mobility devices board through a mid-coach door that opens directly into a same-level, low-floor entry vestibule.
That vestibule offers passenger seating, including for those using mobility devices, plus companion seating and amenities that include power outlet access. A battery-electric version will follow in 2020.
“We don’t know of any other bus manufacturer that did the kind of user-based testing we did with the D45 CRT LE,” said Brent Maitland, MCI Vice President of Product Planning. “It’s been a remarkable experience from the beginning. We learned what features people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices were looking for, plus how our design could help reduce the stress often associated in a daily commute, in addition to full comfort and convenience factors everyone wants on a commuter express.”
