National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

PO Box 65
Harpers Ferry WV 25425

304 535-6748 phone
304 535-6244 fax

Harpers Ferry NHP News Release

Release Date: Immediately
Contact: Marsha B. Wassel
Phone: 304 535-6748

New Buses for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

The National Park Service has received six new buses for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The new buses will replace the current fleet that shuttle visitors between the Cavalier Heights Visitor Center and the Lower Town District of the park.

The park’s Alternative Transportation System is considered a forerunner of modern systems now being implemented in many national parks throughout the country. Over the past fifteen years, many representatives from parks around the country have come to study the Harpers Ferry system, which has been operated under a government contact with PanTram, a regional transportation company in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. A technical study, contracted by the National Park Service in 2004, found that the Harpers Ferry Alternative Transportation System was one of the most efficiently operated bus systems in the National Park System.

The current fleet of Flexible buses was targeted for replacement in 2005. Breakdowns and replacement of major bus components, such as air-conditioning units, have become frequent and increasingly more expensive. Since the buses came on line in June 1990, they have recorded 7 million rides, eliminating traffic congestion and improved air quality in the park and adjacent town.

The new buses came off the assembly line at the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California, last month and were driven to the park by contract drivers. The Gillig Corporation has made buses for more than 110 years serving cities throughout America and other national parks.

The new bus system, the Park Explorer, will eventually provide service to new park areas that have been acquired since the passage of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2004.

Park Superintendent Don Campbell said, “The NPS project team studied and experimented with various bus configurations and technologies to fulfill the specifications of our Alternative Transportation System.” After a value analysis, comparing advantages of various buses the team settled on median size buses with modern diesel technology. The buses are fuel efficient, quiet, and run on bio-diesel, an alternative fuel, resulting in cleaner park air.

The new buses seat 37 passengers comfortably, offer wide scenic windows, air conditioning, and are fully accessible. Under a new bus plan, larger buses will transport park visitors during spring, summer and fall months. Smaller, 17-passenger mini-buses will serve visitors during the winter months, further increasing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.

Superintendent Campbell said, “Taking delivery of these new buses puts the National Park Service in the position of providing modern, clean and reliable transportation for millions of park visitors for years to come. In addition, the lower town bus terminal has been renovated, quadrupling the number of buses that can provide service at one time, while offering improved visitor safety and park aesthetics.”

Through the efforts of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, $1.7 million was secured in a 2004 Senate Appropriations Bill to purchase the new buses for the park. The Alternative Transportation System at Harpers Ferry was dedicated by Senator Byrd in June of 1990.

For further information, contact Marsha Wassel, PIO at Harpers Ferry (304) 535-6748.

-NPS-

Updated: Tuesday, 12-Jul-2005 11:51:55 Eastern Daylight Time
www.nps.gov /archive/hafe/new/nr-new-buses.htm
Author: Marsha B. Wassel

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