Md. Bus Fleets Will Go Cleaner and Greener

O'Malley Orders Conversion to Hybrids

As commuters turn to public buses to combat rising gas prices, passengers in Maryland can look forward to a cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient ride.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) directed the Maryland Transit Administration this month to begin converting the agency's diesel fleet to more environmentally friendly hybrid electric buses, a step that he said would "provide better air quality for our children and future generations."

The transit system runs bus routes from Baltimore into Anne Arundel and Howard counties. It also provides contract commuter service linking the District to Annapolis, Crofton, Frederick and Waldorf, among other areas.

Public transit agencies throughout the country are seeking to replace aging diesel buses with more fuel-efficient models to save taxpayer dollars on gas and improve air quality. Metrobus, the Washington region's largest bus system, which serves Montgomery and Prince George's counties and the District, will replace its older buses with 203 hybrids over the next year.

Rose Sheridan, a vice president of the American Public Transportation Association, said U.S. transit systems are in transition as bus-power technology evolves. Agencies in New York and Seattle use a significant number of hybrid electric buses, and the Maryland Transit Administration's long-term plan, Sheridan said, makes it a "pacesetter."

Most Metrobus and MTA fleets run on diesel. Hybrid technology relies on a mix of diesel fuel and electric power, which helps reduce harmful emissions. By 2014, as many as 80 percent of the MTA's buses will be powered by hybrid technology, according to O'Malley's announcement.

The hybrids cost about $580,000 each, compared with $385,000 for diesel buses, but MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld said he expects to make up the difference within two years because of savings on gas and maintenance.

In test drives, the MTA found that hybrids use 20 percent less fuel and are up to 50 percent quieter because of smoother shifting and faster acceleration. The buses also require less maintenance, according to MTA findings, traveling 6,200 miles between calls for service, compared with 3,300 miles for diesel.

Ten of the MTA's 670 buses, about 1.5 percent of the fleet, are hybrids. The system will add 30 by February.

Metro's 1,510-bus fleet has 50 hybrids, or 3 percent, in addition to 439 buses powered by compressed natural gas and 117 that use ultra-low-sulfur diesel, which burns cleaner than regular diesel. The 203 hybrids will be added by spring, Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said.

Local bus ridership has increased in the past year, rising 5 percent for Montgomery's RideOn service for fiscal 2008 and 31 percent for the MTA fleet from July 2007 to April, the most recent period for which ridership numbers were available. Metrobus ridership has been relatively flat.

Most of Montgomery's 375 buses are diesel, in addition to 95 natural gas,14 hybrid and 5 ultra-low-sulfur. By fall 2009, the county will have 53 hybrids and more than 60 ultra-low-sulfur buses.

Esther Bowring, a county spokeswoman, said Montgomery relies on a combination of technologies. The hybrids and cleaner-burning diesel will primarily serve the down county, she said, because Montgomery can run natural gas-powered buses only in the upcounty, where the fueling station is.

"Everyone is going to have cleaner buses," Bowring said.