ST. CLOUD, Minn., Oct. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF, TSX: NFI.DB) NFI Group Inc. (NFI), a leading manufacturer of buses and motorcoaches and a provider of comprehensive aftermarket parts and service solutions, subsidiary New Flyer of America Inc. (New Flyer), today announced that Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (“Metro”) has exercised its second-year options under a five-year contract for 500 buses. The order includes 75 Xcelsior® hybrid-electric forty-foot transit buses and 25 Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ battery-electric forty-foot transit buses. The options are being exercised from New Flyer’s Q2 2026 backlog.
Funding for these buses is sourced from a mix of federal, state, and local programs, including grants from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission grant program. The new buses will replace retiring fleet units and are set to elevate passenger comfort and operational efficiency, aligning directly with Metro’s five-year Strategic Transformation Plan to become the region’s premier choice for safe and efficient transportation.
“Metro’s investment in our hybrid and battery-electric buses shows a strong commitment to efficiency and modernization,” said Chris Stoddart, President of North American Bus and Coach at NFI. “We’re proud to supply Buy America-compliant vehicles that support the agency’s innovation goals and boost local manufacturing across the country.”
”Our newest buses have enhanced safety features, give customers more room, improved comfort, and the latest onboard features to enhance their travel experience,” said Leroy Jones, Chief Operations Officer, Metro. “These vehicles represent an important investment in a modern fleet that better serves our customers today while preparing us for the future.”
Metro is recognized as the fifth-largest bus system nationwide, serving four million residents across 1,500 square miles spanning Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The Metrobus system operates with a fleet of 1,300 vehicles, servicing 7,500 stops across the region. This year, Metro is celebrating 50 years of service.
This purchase of low- and zero-emission buses continues Metro’s progress under its five-year contract with New Flyer. In February 2025, New Flyer announced a base order for 100 hybrid-electric buses, followed by the announcement of Metro’s Year 1 options in February 2026 for an additional 75 Xcelsior® forty-foot hybrid-electric buses and 25 Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ forty-foot battery-electric buses, strengthening Metro’s battery-electric fleet already serving the region.
About NFI
NFI is a leading global bus and motorcoach manufacturer and a provider of aftermarket parts and service solutions. With more than 9,000 team members across ten countries and operations spanning over 40 facilities, NFI delivers a comprehensive portfolio of bus and coach platforms.
Through its brands New Flyer® (heavy-duty transit buses), MCI® (motorcoaches), Alexander Dennis Limited (single- and double-deck buses), ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™, NFI supports a diverse and extensive portfolio, serving public transit, commuter, and coach markets. In total, NFI supports an installed base of more than 100,000 buses and coaches worldwide. NFI offers a broad range of propulsion systems, including zero-emission electric (referring to propulsion systems that do not utilize internal combustion engines, such as trolley, battery, and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and advanced diesel technologies, providing agencies with multiple fleet technology options. NFI’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NFI) and its convertible unsecured debentures trade under the symbol NFI.DB. News and information is available at www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, nfi.parts, www.alexander-dennis.com, arbocsv.com, and carfaircomposites.com.
About New Flyer
New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product line under the Xcelsior® and Xcelsior CHARGE® brands. It also offers infrastructure development through NFI Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe, sustainable, and reliable charging and mobility solutions. New Flyer actively supports over 35,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 8,600 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,900 are zero-emission. Further information is available at www.newflyer.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of NFI that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including market and general economic conditions (including as a result of tariffs and other trade measures) and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services (including as a result of recent U.S. policy developments); customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses; the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience; production may be delayed or production rates may be decreased as a result of ongoing and future supply chain disruptions and shortages of parts and components, shipping and freight delays, and disruption to and shortage of labor supply; and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca.
Due to the potential impact of these factors, NFI disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Melissa Schnee
P: 385.910.6861
Melissa_Schnee@newflyer.com
For investor inquiries, please contact:
Stephen King
P: 204.792.1300
Stephen.King@nfigroup.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7741ba09-9f68-446c-b357-448824b31850
