As Hybrid Buses Get Cheaper, Cities Fill Their Fleet

[n2doc]

By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: October 20, 2009

IF you wonder whether hybrid-electric vehicles will ever catch on, simply ask one of the millions of people who ride in them every day.

Hybrid-electric buses, that is.

Transit systems from New York to Taipei, and from Ames, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Mich., are adding hybrid buses at a rapid clip. New York, by far, has the nation’s biggest fleet of hybrid buses, which run on electricity and diesel fuel, with nearly 1,000 in all five boroughs, most in Manhattan.

Although the initial cost is well above that of a conventional diesel-powered bus, hybrid buses emit less pollution and get far better fuel economy. They are quieter than old-style buses, and their ride is generally more comfortable (not accounting for the condition of city streets). Like the hybrid taxis that have become a common sight in New York, hybrid buses arrived during the last decade.

Transit officials faced pressure in the mid-1990s to clean up their bus fleet, which was a major contributor to air pollution on city streets. “We were looking at what to do to reduce bus emissions as quickly as possible that didn’t have a major cost,” said Joseph J. Smith, senior vice president for the department of buses for the MTA New York Transit Authority.

more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/automobiles/autospecial2/22BUS.html

[TlalocW]

1. Tulsa doesn't seem to be going electric hybrid

But CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) instead, which is an improvement as well - CNG burns twice as cleanly as gasoline, and the higher cost in buying a CNG bus is soon made up by the price of fuel - currently $1.08 a gallon (I have a CNG E250 for my side business that I love). Guess it's because Oklahoma produces so much CNG to begin with. Hopefully it will help with jobs as well.

TlalocW

[kestrel91316]

2. All our buses in Los Angeles have been CNG for 15 years now, and

trash trucks and many other government fleet vehicles now as well. I LOVE them. I remember the days of getting stuck in traffic behind a diesel bus and wouldn't go back to that for all the tea in China.

[DAMANgoldberg]

3. Here in town...

The newest service offering from CATS involves a direct connection from Center City to the Douglas Int'l Airport for the same price as the local ticket elsewhere and the LYNX Blue Line ($1.50). The total "Sprinter" fleet is Hybrid-Electric and quite snazzy. I have ridden the line and it works like clockwork. Too bad the rest of the system is not up to par, but that is how it goes.

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/Riding+CATS/sprinter.htm