⁴ᴷ Charleston 2018-19 XD40 Action + On Board 2018 New Flyer XD40 7650 on the S74 (7/15/25)

At the end of June, as part of the large diverse summer pick, Staten Island has undergone many different changes in regards to both their local and express bus fleet, with a highlighted depot in particular being Charleston Depot. Since getting trained and certified on New Flyer-built "Xcelsior" buses in order to be able to operate their own small fleet of zero emissions 2024 New Flyer XE40 NG CHARGE buses, they have been eligible to operate other Xcelsior-type buses as well since their certification to do so. After many of Staten Islands overworked 2015-16 Nova Bus LFS' were traded off to be sent to other various depots in the boroughs in order to get HVAC work done for the hot summer season, many Brooklyn-based 2018-19 New Flyer XD40's were sent from Flatbush and Ulmer Park depots to be driven under Charleston, being the first diesel-powered Xcelsiors to operate under Staten Island division local bus service since the evaluation tests at the beginning of the 2011-2012 New Flyer XD40 buses service lives, in which they were operated for a brief period under Castleton in 2011-2012. These XD40's unlike the XE40 NG's are also operated more frequently due to not being battery electric buses, which Charleston uses sparingly during rush hours. This means that these XD40's usually operate throughout all hours of the day, even including late nights in conjunction to the common 2015-16 LFS fleet that Charleston normally operates. Because of this, it is the first time Charleston is able to operate NYS schemed local buses throughout all hours of the day, giving riders USB accessibility and a slightly more modernized ride. Most of these XD40's have also already been fitted with Charleston Depot stickers, due to them being long-term mainstays in the depot from now until Charleston recoups many of their missing LFS units. As of this videos upload, there's been a total of 20+ of these buses based out of Charleston Depot, making it a very similar situation to Gun Hill Depots new Xcelsior certification with this same fleet of buses back in 2023, which they have had ever since. #mtabus

0:00 - Layover & Arrival @ St. George Terminal
0:59 - On Board 2018 XD40 7650 on the S74
14:05 - Action @ Eltingville Transit Center

Video Clips Taken: July 15th, 2025.

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Enjoy!