LA Metro awards ENC $337 million contract for 220 electric buses

LA Metro has approved a $337.7 million contract with ENC, ElDorado National (California), for 220 40-foot battery-electric buses, with deliveries scheduled to begin in spring 2028.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approved the procurement in a 10-1 vote, with Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn casting the only opposing vote, according to information reported US media.

The 220-bus order will more than double the number of electric buses in LA Metro’s fleet, according to CleanTechnica citing Sierra Club. The procurement comes as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and forms part of Metro’s transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.

The base contract includes taxes and delivery and corresponds to approximately $1.53 million per bus. Electric Vehicles reports that Metro risked losing $168 million in state grant funding for the procurement if the board had not approved the contract.

Deliveries are scheduled to start in spring 2028.

ENC wins LA Metro electric bus tender ahead of New Flyer

The award comes during a new industrial phase for ENC, formerly ElDorado National California. The manufacturer was acquired from REV Group by Rivaz in late 2024 for approximately $52 million and restarted bus production in 2025 following a temporary pause during the ownership transition. Rivaz says it has invested more than $50 million in the operation, including facility upgrades, workforce development and planned expansion. ENC currently builds buses end-to-end at its 227,000-square-foot facility in Jurupa Valley, California, and is targeting annual production capacity of 800 to 1,000 buses. Its portfolio covers battery-electric, CNG, diesel-electric hybrid and clean-diesel propulsion technologies.

LA Metro received three bids for the battery-electric bus procurement in March. ENC achieved 833.92 points out of 1,000 in the evaluation, followed by New Flyer with 769.26 points and RIDE Mobility, the Pasadena-based US subsidiary of BYD, with 633.57 points, according to trade outlet Electric Vehicles.

ENC’s $337.7 million proposal was the lowest-priced base offer. RIDE Mobility submitted a $374.1 million bid, while New Flyer proposed $402.2 million.

RIDE Mobility proposed manufacturing the buses at its Lancaster, California facility. ENC will manufacture its vehicles in Riverside, California, while New Flyer proposed production at its Anniston, Alabama plant.

In brief

• How many electric buses has LA Metro ordered?
  LA Metro approved a base order for 220 40-foot battery-electric buses.
• Who will manufacture the buses?
  The contract was awarded to ElDorado National (California), or ENC, with production planned in Riverside, California.
• How much is the contract worth?
  The base contract is valued at $337.7 million including taxes and delivery, or around $1.53 million per bus.
• When will the buses be delivered?
  Deliveries are scheduled to begin in spring 2028.

Electric Vehicles reports that RIDE received 47.58 points out of 200 for experience and past performance, the lowest result among the three bidders for that criterion. New Flyer received 5.50 points out of 50 under Metro’s US Employment Program. According to the same source, Metro evaluators stated that New Flyer made no commitments regarding new hires or retained workers and did not submit contract-specific labor forms.

ENC contract includes options for up to 1,600 e-buses

Beyond the initial 220 vehicles, the contract includes options covering up to 1,600 additional battery-electric buses, which would bring the potential procurement to 1,820 units.

Electric Vehicles reports that ENC priced these optional vehicles at $2.39 billion, bringing the potential overall value of the bid to approximately $2.74 billion.

The board, however, introduced restrictions on the exercise of those options. An amendment backed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky approves the initial 220 buses while requiring additional board authorization for future contract extensions.

Any options can be exercised in increments of no more than 300 buses, according to Electric Vehicles citing MyNewsLA. Metro also retains the possibility of declining the options and launching a new procurement.

A provision in the contract allows Metro to assign unused bus options to other municipal operators in the Los Angeles region.