Love ‘em or not, the ‘Dillo trolleys that circulate commuters around Downtown Austin get plenty of attention. Capital Metro even receives calls from time to time from people who ask if they can rent a ‘Dillo for private parties or even weddings. Renting a ‘Dillo is not an option. But now’s your chance if you want to buy one.Currently Capital Metro has six surplus ‘Dillo vehicles up for auction on GovDeals. When a bus has reached its useful life span (about 10 to 12 years depending on the type of bus and how it is used), it may no longer be suitable for our rigorous schedules. But it still has value; so it’s certainly in the best interest of our taxpayers that we capture that value.
The first step is for our Procurement staff to determine the fair market value of each surplus vehicle. Then we put them up for bid after we’ve established a minimum reserve amount that we’d be willing to accept. Looks like there are only a few bids for the ‘Dillos right now. But the auction will be open until December 8.
There is always someone out there who can put old transit vehicles to good use. Anytime Capital Metro has vehicles up for auction we try to notify businesses, social service agencies and other entities that might be interested in bidding.
If a surplus bus is not what you need, keep checking back with GovDeals. Sometimes we’ll post other surplus property such as computers and furniture.
