Travel
Information Bulletin
JULY
- AUGUST 2006
WESTCHESTER PUTS IN SERVICE ITS FIRST “GREEN” BUSES
Westchester now has four new
hybrid electric buses, part of County Executive Andy Spano’s ongoing
efforts to protect the environment.
Spano formally put the
cutting-edge buses into service today, making Westchester the second community in New York
to acquire these fuel-efficient and clean vehicles. There are only 750
other hybrid buses in use in transit systems throughout the country.
“The Bee-Line System
is going green,” Spano said. “These new vehicles are a major step forward
in bus technology and a sign of the county’s commitment to both clean air
and rider convenience.”
The event was attended
by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rep. Nita Lowey, as well as federal, state
and local officials, transit advocates and representatives of
environmental organizations. The vehicles, costing $592,000 each
(compared to $400,000 for a standard bus), were paid for with a
combination of federal, state and county funds.
“With gas prices
continuing to exceed record high levels, it is a significant step for
Westchester County to ease off the dependence of foreign oil and to
utilize new technologies that increase fuel efficiency,” Sen. Clinton
said. “The hybrid electric buses are good for the environment and the
health of the people in our local communities.”
Rep. Lowey, a member
of the House Appropriations Committee said, “As oil prices continue to
climb, I am pleased that Westchester County is taking a lead in adopting
hybrid technology, built here in New York State. I am proud to have
secured federal funds for this project and will continue to work with my
colleagues in Congress and with local officials to meet the needs of our
community and to increase America’s energy independence.”
The four new buses
will go into regular scheduled service on the County’s 404-vehicle
Bee-Line bus system tomorrow. Over the next year, the buses will be
closely monitored for reliability, maintenance cost, fuel use and
emissions to determine both their contributions to the county’s
environment and their practicality in service. By 2008, the county will
make a decision about whether hybrid technology will be the standard for
future Westchester transit bus purchases. The cost of hybrids is expected
to come down substantially if larger purchases are made.
The new buses will
operate on soot-reducing ultra-low sulfur fuel, which has been the
Bee-Line standard fuel since 2002.
Spano also noted that
the hybrids are the county’s first full-sized low-floor buses. This means
passengers enter the new buses at curb level, making it easier to board.
In addition to convenience for all boarding passengers, low-floor buses
eliminate the need for complicated lifts for wheelchair-bound passengers.
The new buses have simple swinging ramps that reach out to allow wheel
chairs to roll on board.
The buses are to a
great extent products of New York State. They were
assembled by DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses in Oriskany near Utica. The
high-tech electric power train comes from BAE Systems in Johnson City,
near Binghamton, and emission control devices come from Corning.
Forty-seven other New
York State suppliers from Buffalo to Lynbrook contributed additional
components.
The
hybrid purchase was made possible by:
-
Congressional
earmark appropriations to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA),
-
New York State
Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) discretionary grants, and
- New
York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) grants,
specifically to bridge the gap between the cost of standard diesel
engines and the hybrid propulsion system.
For more information please call
Westchester’s SMART COMMUTE Program at
(914) 995-4444
or e-mail us at tvo1@westchestergov.com
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