The City of Paterson, N.J., has purchased a seven-vehicle street sweeping fleet for $1.3 million to replace sweepers that had fallen prey to costly repairs.

City fleet staff members often needed to take the existing fleet of sweepers to multiple locations for repair, which resulted in added downtime. The sweepers had separate motors for driving and sweeper/vacuum functions.

The new sweepers are RAVO5 hydrostatic vacuum street sweepers. The old vehicles used a regenerative air system, and the city says this vacuum system will be more effective on the city's roadways that have crowns in the center.

Prior to purchase of the machines, Public Works Director Christopher Coke ordered demonstration machines from multiple vendors and utilized them for cleanup operation after two major events.

"After the tests, the motor broom drivers and supervisors overwhelmingly selected the RAVO 5 Sweeper as the better option for the city," said Mayor Jeffery Jones. "It was important that the employees who operate the machines test them and feel comfortable working with them."

The city purchased the RAVO 5 sweepers after a lengthy bid process. The entire fleet is expected to be in service by March 17. In the meantime, drivers will receive training, and the city will deploy the vehicles intermittently once the snow melts.