If you take the T regularly, you may have had the good fortune to board a gleaming, brand new bus.
And if that’s not the case, don’t fret — you’ll get your chance, because the MBTA is in the process of replacing about one-third of its bus fleet with brand-new vehicles.
On Tuesday afternoon transportation officials gathered at the MBTA garage on Foundry Street to mark the arrival of the 345 new buses, which have been rolling out for the past eight months. Thirty more new vehicles are on the way.
The 375 new buses include 156 diesel-electric hybrid buses, 175 compressed natural gas buses, and 44 of the longer 60-foot buses, They are being deployed throughout the MBTA system.
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Most of the new vehicles are already on the road, said Jeff Gonneville, chief operating officer of the MBTA.
“We expect all the new buses to be in service by the end of August,” he said.
The MBTA currently operates a fleet of approximately 1,000 buses, the oldest of which date to 1994, he said.
On Tuesday afternoon Gonneville joined Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack and MBTA Interim General Manager Steve Poftak and other officials at the MBTA garage facility on Foundry Street where several of the new buses were parked.
The new vehicles, which cost approximately $283 million, feature improved seating arrangements that increase accessibility, as well as state-of-the-art wheelchair ramps and video cameras. Another safety feature on the new buses is a clear barrier designed to protect bus drivers from unruly passengers.
At the press conference Tuesday, Pollack said the MBTA’s investment in the new vehicles is another step toward its goal of providing “reliable, dependable, affordable service for our customers.”
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.