TTA test runs hybrid bus option

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK - With the Triangle Transit Authority already feeling pressure from higher fuel costs, officials are considering an eventual changeover to more efficient hybrid buses.

Though the TTA is not set for another round of vehicle purchases until 2008, drivers and riders got a glimpse Tuesday of what a future hybrid fleet might look like.

The authority tested a diesel-electric bus on the route between Research Triangle Park and the RDU Airport.

"It drives real good," said Barbara McLoud, a TTA driver for seven years, as she finished her run. "I like it. It drives smooth."

Transit officials stressed that the bus won't just provide a smoother ride, but a much cleaner one. The model being used Tuesday - based on a hybrid system from Allison Transmission, a division of General Motors - would reduce emissions by 40 percent.

"The Triangle is currently in non-compliance for its air quality," said TTA spokesman Brad Schulz. "It's important for us to find some new ways to reduce the amount of emissions that come from our vehicles."

The authority is also looking for ways to reduce the amount of fuel going into its vehicles. The buses currently in the fleet - purchased between 1998 and 2001 - get about 8 miles per gallon, Schulz said.

Higher gasoline prices are squeezing the TTA's budget, causing the authority to spend as much on fuel in the first three months of the 2005-06 fiscal year as it would normally have spent in four months.

"It is having an impact," Schulz said.

The Allison bus uses a 900-pound collection of batteries housed on the roof to propel the bus from a dead stop, with the diesel engine providing power once the vehicle is up to speed. The batteries are charged while the bus is cruising and when it brakes.

The primary obstacle to building a hybrid fleet for the TTA likely will be the cost. The primary vehicles being used now are Thomas models that were purchased for between $174,763 and $189,850, depending on when they were bought.

The hybrid system reviewed Tuesday can be used on almost any bus model - with an upgrade cost of about $200,000.

"We're really just exploring what's best for us," said Laurie Barrett, director of bus operations for TTA.

The authority is a long way from making any final decisions and will continue to review all options, she said.

Asked whether a hybrid upgrade would be cost effective, Barrett said there was no way to tell yet.

"It depends on the long run," she said. "If fuel keeps going up, then sure, it could be."

 

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