June 5, 2008

Fuel costs hurt transit industry too

ARTICLE TOOLS

RSS Email Print

Send an e-mail to a colleague Please fill out the form below to send a link to this story to your colleague.
Your Name:	Your E-mail:
Colleague's Name:	Colleague's E-mail:
Message: (Max. 500 chars.)
Enter the verification code as it is shown below without spaces. (Case-insensitive) Enter Code: What's this? Image Code Verification Automated programs can't "read" the code you see in the box: only humans can. When you enter this code, it ensures that your order is going to a real person. If you don't see an image, make sure your browser is set to display images and try again. If you're not sure what the code is, make your best guess. If you're incorrect, you'll get another chance to enter a different code on the next screen. Close

By  Dan Reichard

• Susan Romeo[ June 5th, 2008 @ 8:34pm ]

  I have been putting together a RFP for small hybrid buses (25') which is going to be distributed later this month (June) I have several transit districts involved but I am amazed that in a time of rising fuel costs and pump pain, more transit districts haven't joined. Now more than ever it makes sound economic and environmental sense. If you are interested, contact me at sromeo@calstart.org. It's not too late.

• Gary Bretz[ June 6th, 2008 @ 7:21am ]

  We are always looking for ways to improve or control the costs of providing transit. In addition to a small hybrid, can the vehicle also be low floor?

• Paul Mandel[ June 6th, 2008 @ 7:23am ]

  Friday, June 06, 2008
  
  The trucking industry has to retool and change their power supply to CNG and battery operated vehicles.
  
  It was not long ago that UPS took the last of their electric powered trucks off the road. These trucks ran for over 40 years. Companies like UPS and Fed X must change their local fleet to electric power to save money and cleanup the environment.
  
  As is said necessity is the mother of invention.
  
  As for over the road vehicles we must get back to using our rail power. Tracks to upstate New York were put in place 50 years ago.
  
  They lay dormant today.
  
  Containerized shipping which is no more then the trailers pulled by tractors can easily be loaded and unloaded from rails and shipped all over the country.
  
  The rail network must be updated and expanded.
  
  Inner city buses must run on electric (battery powered) vehicles also in lieu of hybrids which use diesel. There relatively short routes allowe them to run and be recharged daily.
  
  

• Cliff Galante[ June 6th, 2008 @ 7:35am ]

  Sue,
  
  We would jump on board in acquiring hybrid vehicles if the life cycle cost justified the initial investment. I have had long conversations with both Gillig and NABI about this, and they will tell you upfront that the price point of fuel is stil not at the level it needs to be to justify the additional investment financially. From a PR perspective hybrids are great and do have value because of environmental reasons, however in a cash strapped community like ours, that is not enough. If diesel fuel continues to increase, this may change and you will see more transit agencies that are trying to find ways to stay within budget seriously considering hybrid vehicles.

• Tom[ June 6th, 2008 @ 11:52am ]

  The observation from Sue of why not more transits are doing studies/research on hybrids is right on.
  In defense of that statement I would like to add:
  With a staff of one manager, one ops manager and one secretary, we do not have the time ( in addition to keeping the transit up and running) to put forth the effort into this research and the mountains of paperwork that go with it. Why should every transit do this work? (80 separate transit agencies in my state!!) Why don't DOT's take the lead by each state? Pick the best of breed (or hybrid in this case) and duplicate to the agencies that want to sign on. A lot of time and money could be saved.

• Jan van Eck[ June 6th, 2008 @ 1:38pm ]

  In 1903 the Oerlikon Elektrogyro Co. installed a flywheel-powered bus system in Bern, Switz. It ran flawlessly, and ultimately was dismantled about 1955 and shipped off to Dakar Senegal, where I lost track of it. The power ran from a very short overhead wire pair strategically located at a re-charge point (combined with a loading platform) through two trolley poles to the bus, and re-charged the flywheel electrically. Then the "helper" pulled down the poles, and the bus ran on flywheel stored energy for the run. It was calculated so that where the flywheel ran down there would be another short length of overhead wire to engage and re-charge. You could do this with catenary units on the roof and do an entire transit run on one go. Elegant, and simple; an electric bus with no overhead wire grid.
  
  The problem with "hybrids" is that they suit the engineer's fantasy for an elegant design, but fail in practicality and cost. They have crept into the field mostly (I suspect) due to a lack of collective imagination.
  
  In the short term, I would mention to you all that the obvious way to reduce diesel fuel consumption is to use a lower-powered engine. My thinking on this is that drivers are notorious lead-foots and if the power is there they will use all of it, needed or not. Your major fuel use in on acceleration. When you look at the transit buses in Europe you will be struck by the fact that the larget engine is perhaps 260 hp. The drivers compensate for the lower power by being a bit more gentle and by using more gears.
  
  Yes, we certainly need a funding R&D grant from USDOT to the manufacturers to stmulate novel designs, but the chance of that outside major cultural changes is unfortunately zero (unless I take the Secretary's job in the next administration, of course).
  
  For further info on flywheel power, pls contact me at llve4753@aol.com

• Morris[ June 10th, 2008 @ 10:17am ]

  transit reality rest assured becoming of rail market applications amongst rising fuel prices and cost for considerable fluctuations

Receive the latest Metro E-Newsletters in your inbox!

Join the Metro E-Newsletters and receive the latest news in your e-mail inbox once a week. SIGN UP NOW!

View the latest eNews
Express Tuesday | Express Thursday | University Transit