TriMet’s bright green FX2-Division line buses, which hit the streets on Sept. 18 as part of a much-anticipated $175 million rapid-transit project, are off the roads less than two months later.
A notice on TriMet’s website says standard 40-foot buses replaced the new 60-foot articulated buses on Nov. 2 “out of an abundance of caution due to a fleet-wide mechanical issue.”
TriMet did not respond to an email and phone call seeking comment Saturday, and multiple calls, a text message and pager message to TriMet’s press office on Sunday weren’t immediately returned.
On Monday, TriMet said in a statement that a mechanic discovered the issue during an inspection after a driver heard a noise when turning. TriMet mechanics found that a fastener or bolt that connects a mounting plate to the frame was missing, spokesperson Roberta Altstadt said in the statement.
TriMet inspected six buses and four had loose fasteners. The other two were missing them entirely, Altstadt said. TriMet pulled the fleet as a precaution. The FX2-Division route deploys 31 buses.
Canada-based Nova Bus issued a recall notice Aug. 10 for defects in steering equipment on some buses, but TriMet said Monday that was unrelated to its decision and its FX2 fleet does not use the component mentioned in the notice. That recall document said the defect put drivers at risk of losing control. It estimated repairs would take three hours per bus.
The rapid bus line runs from Portland’s downtown transit mall to the Cleveland Transit Center in Gresham. It was designed to cut travel time and accommodate more passengers.
It is unclear when the 60-foot buses will return to the route.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com