New York City Transit has selected a builder for bus rapid transit vehicles — and, like much of the MTA’s capital purchases, the choice will benefit upstate New York’s manufacturing economy. The transit agency has placed an order for 90 NovaBus articulated three-door buses, to be manufactured at a newly opened plant in Plattsburgh, Clinton County.

During a test run earlier this year, the buses were popular with passengers and proved durable enough for service in NYC. The spacious 62-foot vehicles have low floors and automated rear doors that should speed up boarding on the city’s planned bus rapid transit routes.

Upstate New York is already dotted with factories that produce transit vehicles for companies like Bombardier and Alstom, and the opening of this plant is another example of how MTA capital spending benefits communities across the state. According to press reports, the new NovaBus plant will employ between 200 and 300 local workers.