Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

The hybrids, with technology similar to a Chevy Volt, will run one of the busiest routes among the agency’s 79 bus lines. With the addition of the hybrids, 55 new buses have been put into service since October.

The energy-efficient buses, the first in the SamTrans fleet, are expected to be in service throughout San Mateo County by the end of the year. The low-floor buses use long-life, non-hazardous, maintenance-free batteries to capture and store braking energy and advanced solid state controllers to manage and blend power sources.

By 2018, more than 75,000 electric drivetrain buses will be in service around the world.

Educates students about the various alternative transportation options on and off campus in Ann Arbor. Focuses primarily on the university’s biodiesel-hybrid bus system and the late-night Safe Ride.

The new 40-foot buses have an advanced thermal cooling system technology which provides benefits, including fuel economy improvement up to 10%; up to 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; reduction in maintenance costs and increased safety through the elimination of hydraulic fluid leaks.

Operators from Utah, Colorado, Illinois and Virginia weighed in on their conversions to alternative fuel to go greener and reduce noise pollution.

The first six New Flyer hybrids will go into service on Dec. 19 and will replace older diesel buses that are past their useful life. Eight more will be put into service by early 2012. Vehicles will more than double Metro’s hybrid fleet.

Compared to the database of buses tested at Altoona, the LCO-140H fuel economy results are 110 percent better than conventional diesel buses and 30 percent better than the leading diesel-electric hybrid buses available today, according to the company.

Will be standard equipment on all of the manufacturer’s hybrid buses, replacing the alternator and the associated pulleys and belts.

Board members authorized $16.9 million for the purchase of 24 40-foot hybrid buses from Gillig Corp., and $8.1 million for 10 60-foot clean diesel buses from New Flyer.