This factory specialized in electric buses but was recently shuttered as REV Group decided to pull out of the mass transit sector.
The reasons behind REV Group's exit from transit remain unclear. Nonetheless, the loss of these jobs certainly deals a blow to California's employment figures.
From The Orange County Register:
In an era when clean public transportation has seemingly huge support, how can the makers of low-emission buses fail?
The latest casualty is a Southern California factory where environmentally friendly buses were made. It’s being shut down by its Wisconsin-based owners.
REV Group – which makes everything from RVs to fire trucks – decided in January to exit the mass transit business, announcing the closure of its ENC bus business and its plant in Jurupa Valley. State documents show 425 jobs will be lost after the business winds down after completing outstanding orders.
Now, you probably don’t know ENC, but you’ve likely ridden in one of their products. Their legacy product was the ubiquitous airport shuttle. The manufacturer then evolved into manufacturing mass-transit buses.
LA Metro runs 295 of ENC’s natural gas-fueled vehicles. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has 30 electric-hybrid mini-buses. And just last year, Foothill Transit – serving riders around Pomona – ordered 19 electric ENC buses.
The company blames a slew of challenges for the factory shuttering.
