Page 3: 2021 & Newer Models
Page was created on 10/08/2025.
The wheels keep turning…
Welcome to the PSTA Active Vehicles page. Here, I will showcase photos of the various vehicles that PSTA currently operates in its fleet. If you’d like to make a contribution, please feel free to contact me.
- Major Updates
- 2021 & 2024 Gillig BRT Plus Hybrid
- 2023 – 2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus Battery Electric
- 2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus Hybrid
Major Updates
As of 07/19/2025
Due to recent fleet retirements, the 2005, 2006, & 2008 Gillig Low Floor Diesel subsections have moved to the Retired Transit Vehicles Page.
Additionally, to better accommodate incoming photos of the 2023, 2024, & 2025 units, I’ve created a new third active fleet page to house photos of buses from the 2021-series SunRunner units & newer. The previously created second page will now only house photos of buses produced between 2016 & 2020 – including the Hometown Manufacturing trolley replicas.
2021 & 2024 Gillig BRT Plus Hybrid
40′ units for the SunRunner BRT service
2021 – #’s 21101 through 21109
2024 – #’s 21110 through 21112
For the new SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in St. Petersburg, PSTA ordered nine 40′ Gillig BRT Plus diesel/electric hybrids. These buses are equipped with the plug style rear door option, sleek BRT style rearview mirrors, interior LCD screens for customer information, interior bike racks, platform level wheelchair lift, & a special seating arrangement. Customers are able to board the buses through the rear door, in addition to the front door, which helps speed up the boarding process. Flamingo Fares fare validators are positioned next to both doors to facilitate quick fare payment. Note: Because of this unique setup, cash payments are not allowed on board the SunRunner.
To help maintain a healthy spare ratio, PSTA ordered three more BRT Plus hybrid buses in 2023 to support SunRunner service during the week. These buses were produced during the beginning part of 2024 & delivered to the agency as of 03/25/2024. The buses entered service in May, 2024 & are numbered as 21110, 21111, & 21112 – following the 21XXX series instead of being assigned 24XXX unit numbers. When needed, the 2025 3rd batch battery electrics (#’s 26108 through 26119) may be used on the SunRunner to supplement service or substitute for unavailable units. Likewise, other battery electric units may be used when needed as substitutes. 35′ hybrid units are only used as a last resort substitution.
2023 – 2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus Battery Electric
40′
2023 Pilot Units – #’s 23101 & 23102
2023 Production Units – #’s 23103 through 23106
2024 Production Units – #’s 24101 through 24124^
2025 Production Units – #’s 25101 through 25125+
& #’s 26101 through 26119+
^ – The 2024 series units were split; with the first eight units being produced & delivered during the spring of 2024 & the remaining units being produced & delivered towards the end of the year.
+ – The 2025 series units were also split; with twenty five units being produced & delivered beginning at the end of 2024 & continuing through the early spring of 2025, followed by the second batch of seven units being produced & delivered during the spring of 2025, then a third batch of thirteen units currently being produced & delivered as of June 21, 2025. The second & third batches utilize 261XX numbering, with the second batch comprising of #’s 26101 through 26107, & the third batch comprising of #’s 26108 through 26119 & are similar to the 2nd batch – but are built with the rear plug-style door option.
With PSTA’s contract with BYD winding down, the agency still wanted to be able to expand upon its battery electric bus fleet as funding allowed. The agency signed a contract with Gillig in 2020 for two of its new Low Floor Plus battery electric vehicles. In 2021, PSTA signed a multi-year contract with Gillig to bring forth sixty more Low Floor Plus EVs to the fleet during the course of the next five years (2023 through 2027), with twelve buses to be produced each year as per the original terms. However, the contract was likely modified to account for production delays that ended up skewing the production & delivery schedule. In 2024, a contract was signed to allow for thirteen more units to be added, along with nine diesel-electric hybrids – bringing the total of Gillig battery electric units to seventy five. However, as the 2024 contract order was being finalized, a slight change was made to adjust the battery electric portion to twelve units & the hybrid portion to ten units.
The two pilot units, as well as the four first production unit batch (#’s 23101 through 23106), were delivered to PSTA during the course of 2023, with # 23101 being showcased in April at the APTA Mobility Conference in Minneapolis, MN, & # 23105 being showcased in October, 2023 at the APTA Expo in Orlando, FL. On January 8, 2024, #’s 23103 through 23105 entered revenue service, with the former two operating on Route 4 & the latter operating on Route 59. # 23106 was in service by March, 2024.
Production of the subsequent units gradually took shape during the course of 2024, with #’s 24101 through 24108 completing the spring 2024 production lineup. All eight were in service by July, 2024, with the second batch of 2024 series units – #’s 24109 through 24124 – being produced & delivered during the fall. All 2024 series units are in service as of February, 2025.
2025 would bring forth the conclusion of the original 2020 contract, as well as the piggybacking of the 2024 contract units. I am assuming that PSTA wanted all of the battery electrics to be done & over with so that they could have a fresh new batch of buses to work with & retire out the aging remaining 2006 & 2007 series units. Production & delivery of #’s 25101 through 25125 began at the end of 2024 & was completed as of May, 2025 – with most of the units entering service as of June, 2025.
Oddly enough, the second & third batch of 2025 series units did not continue using 251XX numbers. Instead, PSTA opted to utilize 261XX numbers for these units. #’s 26101 through 26107 were produced & delivered between April & June of 2025, with #’s 26101 & 26102 being in service as of June, 2025. #’s 26108 through 26120 were produced & delivered between May & July, 2025, with # 26110 being spotted on social media on June 16, 2025. As of October 1, 2025, #’s 26103 through 26106, as well as #’s 26108 through 26113 are in service on standard routes, with the remaining units (26114 through 26119) likely being used for operator training & route planning functions ahead of the launch of PSTA’s Spark BRT Lite service.
It is to note that while all of these battery electrics look virtually identical to each other. #’s 26108 through # 26119 differ in the sense that they’re equipped with the plug-style rear door option that the SunRunner units possess. However, these buses can be used on any PSTA fixed route – as they aren’t branded for Spark service.
The Low Floor Plus design was first introduced in 2017, with the Santa Clara VTA in San Jose, CA being the first transit agency to order buses in that variant (though theirs are diesel-electric hybrids). The battery electric platform was initially announced that same year, with the first demo bus being unveiled in 2019. While agencies can order the Gillig Low Floor bus utilizing a variety of fuel & styling options, the Low Floor Plus remains the only variant where battery electric propulsion is available.
The Low Floor Plus model combines styling features of the BRT Plus model into the standard Low Floor model. The pieces housing the headlights is similar to that of the BRT & BRT Plus design, as well as the streamlined roof farings. However, the standard Low Floor style windshield & rear end are used in the build. Because of the way that the front of the bus is shaped overall – specifically the upper portion where the roof faring meets the headsign – many transit enthusiasts have given the Low Floor Plus model the nickname of Beluga Whale, as it resembles the uniquely curved forehead of the underwater creature.
PSTA’s order includes the stylish BRT style curved side mirrors, interior LCD screens to display customer information such as next stops, & blue colored plastic seats (identical to what HART uses on its 2017 & newer buses). Aside from the fact that the buses are battery electric & therefore typical diesel-powered components do not exist on the build, all other features are similar to that of what is provided on the 2018, 2019, & 2021 hybrid fleets. Oh, and for those of you wanting to know how quiet the Gillig electrics are compared to the BYDs – I’d say that the Gilligs run even quieter (aside from any noise emitted from the air conditioning/HVAC system).
It is to note that Gillig’s entry into the battery electric bus market was fostered through a partnership with Cummins – which manufactures heavy vehicle engines (including those for transit buses, fire engines, motorhomes & RVs, & even marine vessels. By Gillig producing the Low Floor Plus electric vehicle platform, transit agencies have an alternative avenue to go electric.
2025 Gillig Low Floor Plus Hybrid
35′
#’s 26120 through 26129
When PSTA placed the 2024 contract order, I assumed that the nine hybrid units would possess specifications similar to that of the 2017 through 2019 units, featuring the BRT style curved front end. However, when I viewed a collection of photos on Facebook that was posted by staff over at Augusta Transit in Augusta, GA (they were evaluating their new order of 35′ battery electric units), a photo of an incomplete # 26121 was included – constructed in the Low Floor Plus modeling instead. I assume that PSTA made this specification in order to keep the overall production as cohesive as possible. As of October 4, 2025, #’s 26120 through 26127 are in revenue service. As mentioned earlier, the 2024 contract order was slightly adjusted. This resulted in # 26120 being changed from being a 40′ electric to a 35′ hybrid.
The Global Transit Guidebook 