The MTA is preparing to issue an RFP for up to 650 new alternative-fuel buses, the agency's largest fleet upgrade since 2013, according to reporting from Mass Transit and Brooklyn Eagle citing Governor Hochul's announcement.

This is a fleet procurement, not yet a construction contract — but a bus order this size drags a construction tail behind it. New buses need new or retrofitted depot infrastructure: charging or CNG fueling systems, maintenance bay upgrades, and depot electrical work, all of which typically get bid separately once the vehicle order is locked.

For a mechanical or electrical contractor who works MTA depots, this is the signal to start tracking which depots get named for the upgrade — that's where the real construction dollars in this program will land, not in the bus contract itself.

The MTA has not yet published the RFP itself; watch the MTA's current opportunities page for the vehicle solicitation and, separately, any depot infrastructure packages that follow.

First reported by Mass Transit and Brooklyn Eagle.