Photos Courtesy: Miami-Dade Transit
These new hybrid buses will join 38 other hybrids in MDT's fleet of more than 800 buses. The transit system also boasts a 22.6-mile heavy rail system (Metrorail), a 4.4-mile downtown light rail system (Metromover), as well as its contracted paratransit service (Special Transportation Service).
Hybrid buses
MDT Director Harpal S. Kapoor was instrumental in introducing hybrid technology to Miami-Dade County. It was his experience at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), where he worked as assistant manager of bus engineering, from 1999 to 2006, that led him to champion hybrid buses based on his testing of new propulsion technologies. In 2006, Kapoor was able to gain support from the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners to switch MDT's new bus procurements to hybrid technology. MDT also began using a 5 percent biodiesel fuel blend for the entire fleet in 2009.
Continuing its vision for a greener fleet, MDT took delivery of five new Gillig 40-foot low-floor diesel-electric hybrid buses, which were placed into fixed-route service in mid-April. These new hybrids, purchased at a cost of $3.1 million, are expected to deliver 30 percent fuel savings when compared to conventional diesel buses, according to MDT.
In addition to fuel savings, maintenance costs for hybrid vehicles ($0.95 per mile) are significantly lower than diesel vehicle costs ($1.51 per mile).
The new vehicles are equipped with Cummins ISB 280 HP engines that meet 2010 emission standards via SCR exhaust after-treatment and diesel particulate filter technologies, as well as an Allison hybrid-drive system employing regenerative braking.
Energy efficient
A key feature of these buses is the beltless alternator, where the bus's electrical system pulls power from the hybrid batteries and, also, operates the electric fan drive.
Air-conditioning systems were also converted to fully electric by feeding power from an independent alternator driven from the engine. MDT has partnered with Allison, Gillig and Vanner to test the possibility of running the entire air-conditioning system from hybrid batteries.
MDT recently was awarded the Thermo King Energy Efficiency Leader Award for its commitment to improving fuel efficiency by electrifying accessories in its diesel-electric hybrid buses.
In an innovative move to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational costs, MDT has become one of the first transit agencies in the nation to electrify bus accessories. This modification is expected to make the buses 25 percent more fuel efficient.
"By electrifying accessories, like the air-conditioning system in our buses, we're not only operating our buses more efficiently, but also demonstrating our long-term commitment to increasing sustainability by improving fuel economy," says Kapoor.
MDT has plans to electrify more components on the bus, such as power steering, doors, air compressors and wheelchair ramps to further reduce fuel consumption, Kapoor says.
In addition to the greening of the bus fleet, MDT has also reduced its carbon footprint by implementing solar power for all bus shelters, and ten Metromover light rail stations are targeted for LED lighting to save energy. The transit system also adheres to an Environmental Management System (EMS) policy it developed, to regulate its "green" actions such as recycling materials in maintenance shops and disposal of hazardous waste.
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Aside from its bus fleet enhancements, Miami-Dade's rail service is getting a boost with the construction of the Metrorail AirportLink Project (rendering of completed project shown).
Airport rail extension
Besides its bus fleet enhancements, MDT's rail service is getting a boost with the construction of the Metrorail AirportLink Project. The 2.4-mile elevated extension of the Metrorail system from the existing Earlington Heights Station will connect to the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC), a major transportation hub being developed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) next to Miami International Airport (MIA).
Construction, 80 percent of which is complete, began in spring of 2009 and will be finished by spring of 2012. The project features a multilevel Miami International Airport Station which will provide passengers with a central transfer point to different modes of transportation, including Metrobus, Metrorail, Tri-Rail, Greyhound, tour buses, taxi cabs, rental cars, and an Automated People Mover that connects to MIA.
Funding for this project comes from the People's Transportation Plan ($406 million), known as the half-cent sales tax approved by Miami-Dade voters in 2002, and from FDOT ($100 million).
The AirportLink will provide residents and visitors with direct Metrorail access to MIA via the Automated People Mover. With this project, Miami-Dade County joins the ranks of other major cities with rapid transit connections to their airports.
More than 2,800 new daily riders are expected to board Metrorail at the Miami International Airport Station once it opens. It will significantly reduce carbon emissions from cars, thereby helping Miami-Dade County achieve its targets for reducing its carbon footprint, according to Kapoor.
Culture shift
With the new hybrid bus additions and the airport rail extension due for completion within a year, MDT has plenty to be proud of. Despite these achievements, the transit system achieved something even greater within the past five years by tackling its many challenges and affecting a cultural shift to basically right-size the organization.
When Kapoor took on the role of deputy director in 2006 and was appointed director in 2007, the transit system had numerous challenges including, financial, safety and service reliability as well as a lack of pride of ownership where the employees were concerned.
"We had chronic deficits of $25 million every year, we had service delivery issues," he says. "When I arrived, I was amazed that we had a newer four-year-old bus fleet, but it was the lowest in reliability, with about 2,300 miles in between service interruptions and on-time performance was 66 percent."
Safety was also an issue, he says, citing two fires on the heavy rail side, as well as problems with wheel and electrical fires on the bus side.
Service problems also arose from rapid expansion, which led to underused services and lost revenues. Other service-related problems included broken elevators/escalators, dirty buses, trains and stations. Communication problems within the transit system were also apparent.
"People were divided, there was no ownership or responsibility being taken for the problems," Kapoor says, adding, "There was a lot of finger pointing going on."
To mitigate the service issues, Kapoor began a major overhaul. MDT worked to right-size bus services by merging routes to eliminate duplication and cutting underused segments. In terms of reliability, the transit system can boast greatly improved performance figures for the current bus and rail fleets as well, which Kapoor credits to his experience using Six Sigma standards at WMATA.
"We had the highest reliability of a 10-year-old fleet average in the 27-year history of WMATA," Kapoor says. He cites WMATA's Assistant Chief Engineer Robert Golden, Chief Operating Officer Jack Requa and General Superintendent of Bus Maintenance Phil Wallace as instrumental in the achieved success.
To combat the communication problems, Kapoor dismantled the numerous committees that were in place and he restructured the organization from the top down. In addition to the use of Six Sigma processes, Kapoor also employed Key Performance Indicator (KPI) tools — which became crucial to creating a more proactive approach to system operations, and resulted in overall improvement in system performance and greater customer satisfaction in all areas of the transit system. MDT is one of the few agencies in the nation to have an independent performance management division monitoring the KPIs and trends.
"The Six Sigma process helped [the staff] to focus, which actually turned into a customer focus," Kapoor says. "I took the same people and showed them a way to do better for the customer."
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arpal S. Kapoor, who took on the role of director of Miami-Dade Transit in 2007, was instrumental in the transit system's decision to move toward diesel-electric hybrid buses. 
Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) Director Harpal S. Kapoor heads the largest transit system in Florida and the 14th largest in the U.S. He is thought to be the first Indian-born Sikh to head a major U.S. transit system — one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse in the nation. Kapoor first joined MDT as a rail vehicle electronic technician in 1985. After rising to various positions within MDT, he left to join the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority as an assistant manager of bus engineering. He rejoined MDT in 2006 as deputy director of operations and was appointed director of the transit system in 2007.
METRO: How did you first get involved in transit?
Kapoor: When I was in India, I worked for Larsen & Toubro, a consulting company specializing in welding repairs of critical components of railroad and automotive industry for transit. That's how I started in transit at that time. I'm actually a mechanical engineer and specialized in the metallurgical field.
In 1984 I immigrated to the U.S. — my sister lived here. But when I came to Miami, I couldn't find a job; the only job I could find was in transit. So in 1985, I started as a heavy rail technician with Miami-Dade Transit. I loved it so much that I stayed in it.
METRO: Looking back at your original role as a technician, what experiences or values do you bring to your current position?
Kapoor: Troubleshooting is one experience. I was a mainline technician [so, for example, if there is a problem with a train] and you have only five minutes to move it, because the next train is coming behind you, you have to know the solutions, you have to troubleshoot and you have to make decisions quickly. Also, with that type of ground-level maintenance experience, I always know that something could always be improved.
As a director, I [ask myself] how would the technician feel? I give goals for them so they can achieve and improve by getting to the next level. That technician job gave me that experience about certain goals [such as] how would I feel if someone wanted an unrealistic goal of having 10 trains fixed in four hours.
You also have to think about the customer. I have to fix the train not so my boss will be happy, but so that the customer will not be impacted. The customer should be on time. I took those values from that [way of thinking] to the top level. I make sure that my direct reports understand it as well, and I have them visit the maintenance shops or construction sites to see exactly what's going on.
METRO: Did you ever think you would one day lead this agency?
Kapoor: To be honest I never imagined it. It's the American dream though. I came here with $50 in my pocket in '84 — I'm a U.S. citizen now. My two sons have grown up here. My wife and I said, 'This is America, you can do anything if you are honest and want to work hard — the sky is the limit!'
I never imagined that I would be the director of an organization where I started at the bottom. It's the immigrants' dream and I have lived and experienced it.
METRO: What keeps you awake at night with regard to MDT?
Kapoor: Safety and the customers. I don't want a major accident. I do get a 12:00 and 4:00 a.m. analysis update on my Blackberry every day of where we are — how many escalators are working, how many buses and trains are available. My goal is 100 percent service every day. That's the bottom line for everybody.
METRO: What are you most excited about with regard to MDT?
Kapoor: The diversity and the challenges. It's not the money, but it's that you have achieved something and you feel good about it. We have done a cultural shift in the last five years here. What the team brings to the table and how each member interacts with each other is important for the success of the organization.
There have been many challenges, and there will continue to be challenges. We take it one day at a time. We have achieved a lot and I have to thank the entire organization, starting from the employees who do the fueling, cleaning, and fixing of buses and trains, to my direct reports, the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, who have made an impossible task possible.
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