Trimet Desert Rose is Testing!!! (Raw Reaction - Read Description)

This was 100% unplanned. I was walking around the shops at Beaverton TC to kill some time and as I was coming back to the transit center, I see this sitting there. I was told later that day that this was testing on the line 57- TV Hwy/Forest Grove. This was unannounced and was the ultimate "right place at the right time." I was very surprised to see this! I was considering buying a lottery ticket after this.

The desert rose is a one if its kind bus. Trimet purchased it from Valley Metro, a transit company in Phoenix, AZ. It's a 2007 New Flyer D60LF. They sent it to Complete Coach Works (CCW) in Riverside, CA to get converted to battery electric. It's the first time any transit company has ever converted a 60' bus from diesel to electric. Originally, this was supposed to enter service on line 72- Killingsworth/82nd, but it sounds like this could be on the westside serving line 57 and possibly 20. After the conversion, I suppose this bus is now a New Flyer E60LF - the only one in the world!

Here is a link to a video where I talked about Trimet's electric buses:    • Bus Overhauls & Electric Buses