In 1996, the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) purchased three modified Skoda 14Tr models as demonstrators
for a follow-on production buy. These coaches were numbered 9601-9603. As the years went on, 9601 and 9603 were on the
street most often, with 9602 serving as a parts source, as production 9800 series coaches had a different configuration, both
structurally and electronically.
Fifty-four production coaches were ordered in 1998 from Electric Transit Incorporated (ETI), with body shells shipped to Baltimore from
the Skoda factory in the Czech republic, some electric components added in Baltimore, and final finishing in Dayton. These coaches started
arriving in 1998, with the last delivery in 1999. The structural modifications included a front wheelchair lift, and a large battery installation
in the rear. Structural cracking was detected (the buses squatted ass-heavy, in my opinion), and the fleet was taken down for retrofit in
2001-2002.
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