Bus or Bust!
by Tony Chavira
Ever wonder what it would be like to work for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority?
Metro are always advertising new jobs on their online board, and according to a New York Times article today there might have a new big wave of hirings a-comin' sure to excite the eco-conscious among us:
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.
And Los Angeles isn't far behind, as we're currently in the process of ordering 500 hybrid buses of our very own! Now if only our buses were a) always on time and b) went in straight lines down the long city streets, I'd at least not have to depend so heavily on Google Transit to steer me in the right direction. But hey, one step at a time.
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