City commissioners got to do a little bus shopping before Tuesday evening’s meeting.

Cliff Galante, the city’s public transit administrator, arranged for a 29-foot bus from the Gillig Bus Co. to be parked outside City Hall for city leaders to tour.

Galante previously alerted commissioners that the 12 buses in the city’s fleet are nearing the end of their useful life. The buses have a 350,000-mile life expectancy, and many of the buses will reach that level by the end of 2008.

The new Gillig buses – at about $320,000 apiece – are expected to last for 500,000 miles. The buses are the same size as the city’s current fleet, but feature a much lower floor to make it easier for the elderly and people with disabilities to enter and leave the bus.

The city has received enough federal funding to purchase six of the buses, but the city has not identified a funding source for the remaining six buses. Commissioners continue to discuss how they want to fund public transit in the future, and have not yet given Galante the approval to order new buses.