Business, consumer and economic tidbits from DNT business reporter Candace Renalls. Click here to view previous posts or additional resources.

Old DTA buses don't die, they go to Peoria

Who wants Duluth's old buses?

Peoria, Illinois, sure does.

The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District Board this month approved spending $105,000 for 10 used Duluth buses, the Peoria Journal Star reported.

Besides the purchase price, the $105,000 also covers the cost to transport the 35-foot buses from Duluth to Peoria, give them a paint job and to outfit them for use there. That comes out to just under $5,000 for each of the 13-year-old Duluth Transit Authority buses that have an average of 300,000 miles logged on them.

So what does Peoria want with our old buses?

Turns out, their transit system has an aging fleet. So they look for used buses to replace their defunct buses until they get the money to buy brand new ones. They also buy some old buses for parts, according to the Journal.

It's a temporary fix until they get 21 new buses, probably next year.

Peoria has looked to Duluth before for used buses. It bought six old DTA buses in 2007. 

Tags: daily updates, biz, dta, buses, peoria