More Metro hybrid buses

[editor]

METRO ADDING MORE HYBRID BUSES

METRO is continuing its commitment to help improve air quality in Houston.

METRO

[CALMSP]

METRO ADDING MORE HYBRID BUSES

METRO is continuing its commitment to help improve air quality in Houston.

METRO's Board of Directors approved the purchase of 100 new diesel-electric hybrid buses at April's board meeting.

These new diesel-electric buses post significant fuel savings and reduce contaminates, especially carbon dioxide emissions. The buses are also quieter, provide a smoother ride and require less maintenance, reducing METRO's operating costs.

Metro is ordering 50, 40-foot hybrid-electric, low-floor buses at a cost of $517,367 each. These buses will serve local routes.

Fifty, 45-foot hybrid-electric suburban buses will be used for METRO's Park & Ride routes. The price of each of these buses is $735,000.

These new buses are part of an overall replacement program that allows METRO to retire older buses and reduce the average age of the fleet.

The 100 new buses will be delivered in 2009 adding to METRO's existing fleet of hybrids, which hit the streets last summer and a shipment of 100 new hybrid buses that will arrive this summer.

great........this will help eliminate traffic and ease congestion by.......oh wait, nope, nevermind.

[ricco67]

great........this will help eliminate traffic and ease congestion by.......oh wait, nope, nevermind.

That is a little unfair, but I am curious as to how many buses will be retired vs. the new ones. If its an even swap, then no, there will be no gains, but if they keep some of the ones that are in better shape due to their increase in ridership, then yeah.

[livincinco]

Here's some more detail on the new park and ride buses. It does not appear that there is a net gain of number of buses from this article, just replacement of existing.

http://www.busride.com/article.asp?IndexID=956

[ricco67]

Here's some more detail on the new park and ride buses. It does not appear that there is a net gain of number of buses from this article, just replacement of existing.

http://www.busride.com/article.asp?IndexID=956

It doesn't read like there will be a net gain, but again, they might hold on to some of the buses that are in better shape longer; the article just isn't clear (to me) on that. Also,some P&R locations will are supplemented by buses they get on contract.

[CDeb]

It doesn't read like there will be a net gain, but again, they might hold on to some of the buses that are in better shape longer; the article just isn't clear (to me) on that. Also,some P&R locations will are supplemented by buses they get on contract.

Hopefully fuel savings from the new buses will allow for expansion of the fleet.

[Jax]

Less noisy busses with less smelly exhaust sounds good to me!

[RedScare]

It doesn't read like there will be a net gain, but again, they might hold on to some of the buses that are in better shape longer; the article just isn't clear (to me) on that. Also,some P&R locations will are supplemented by buses they get on contract.

A Chronicle article on new Park&Ride service suggested that the 16% increase in ridership due to gas prices would be alleviated by adding the new hybrids. The suggestion was that no older busses would be retired, at least not yet.

[MetroMogul]

I seriously doubt Metro will be keeping any of the older 3700 series Neoplan coaches in service as they are already 15 years old and the Wilson administration seems to have a phobia of getting the most use out of it's bus fleet. The reason why Metro is in such a hole now is because they retired over 100 buses that could be used for Park and Ride service between 2006 and 2007. In fact, Metro was in the middle of a spike in commuter boardings and a bus shortage when they decided to move ahead with the retirement of all 54 1400 series commuter style articulated coaches in 2007. To alleviate the local bus shortage, they begun to use mini buses (which they had too many of), and a mixture of Neoplan and MCI coaches on local routes such as the 2 - Bellaire. Now, those coaches have moved on to express routes like the 102, 108, 131, and 132 which also use local buses. Metro had a fleet of 53 light duty suburban style coaches they retired which could have been used for the express lines freeing up the older Neoplans for use on the Park and Ride routes. Metro, however, seems to just like retiring buses for the hell of it with no forward planning whatsoever.

[JLWM8609]

I seriously doubt Metro will be keeping any of the older 3700 series Neoplan coaches in service as they are already 15 years old and the Wilson administration seems to have a phobia of getting the most use out of it's bus fleet. The reason why Metro is in such a hole now is because they retired over 100 buses that could be used for Park and Ride service between 2006 and 2007. In fact, Metro was in the middle of a spike in commuter boardings and a bus shortage when they decided to move ahead with the retirement of all 54 1400 series commuter style articulated coaches in 2007. To alleviate the local bus shortage, they begun to use mini buses (which they had too many of), and a mixture of Neoplan and MCI coaches on local routes such as the 2 - Bellaire. Now, those coaches have moved on to express routes like the 102, 108, 131, and 132 which also use local buses. Metro had a fleet of 53 light duty suburban style coaches they retired which could have been used for the express lines freeing up the older Neoplans for use on the Park and Ride routes. Metro, however, seems to just like retiring buses for the hell of it with no forward planning whatsoever.

Looks like it's time to bring that Fishbowl out of retirement. All it needs is some Bondo and BAM!

[ricco67]

I didn't realize that there is a 2 year turnaround time when ordering buseseseseses. Knowing that they have previously charted buses for commuter lines, I have to wonder how many do they contract and is there enough availability to add to the fleet if they contract them from outside lines.

If so, it might be difficult for people going to Louisiana to gamble their gas money away.

[HoustonMETROFan]

Hi everybody.

I don't know where else to put this so I'll put it here. My name is Cedric Collins and I'm a native Houstonian---been that way all my life. Even though I currently live in Cypress, I go to school and work in Midtown. More on that laterz---if you dare to ask.

Not only am I a regular rider of METRO but I'm also a transit fan here in Houston. I haven't been taken pics of buses/trains lately due to lack of time but I'll do so when I can. As far as METRO is concerned, the only bus that I ride is the 77-Liberty/MLK (Mesa TC branch) route and I also take METRORail to get to work and school.

Just F.Y.I., METRO is NOT getting no more artics and I think that's a BIG mistake because there are certain routes that need them.

Anyhoo, some or most people may think hybrids may not be the best answer but at least METRO is trying and YES, we need to retire some of these old buses/coaches. I could care less; I just want to see new buses come to town.

Here's what we're getting and the assigned fleet numbers that'll go with 'em:

102 MCI D4500CTH hybrid commuter coaches. Fleet numbers=>5001-5102. Coaches are currently being built.

96 Orion VII Next Generation HEV buses. Fleet numbers=>3601-3696. Buses are currently being built.

I hope to have a great time here. Thanks for having me as a member here!

~Cedric Collins~

[JLWM8609]

Here's what we're getting and the assigned fleet numbers that'll go with 'em:

102 MCI D4500CTH hybrid commuter coaches. Fleet numbers=>5001-5102. Coaches are currently being built.

I've already seen 5001 in service. Saw it about a month ago. Here's a terrible cell phone pic of it that I took. It wasn't in service, the driver was on break at the corner of Gray and Louisiana. I've never seen it again since then though.

[houstonmacbro]

Less noisy busses with less smelly exhaust sounds good to me!

My question is why are we so late in getting to this? I mean, it wasn't like these buses were developed last year. They've been out for at least 5 years, maybe a decade.

Why is OUR Metro so late to the game in everything?

[CDeb]

My question is why are we so late in getting to this? I mean, it wasn't like these buses were developed last year. They've been out for at least 5 years, maybe a decade.

Why is OUR Metro so late to the game in everything?

One could make the argument that by delaying new bus purchases in order to spend the money providing greater service, METRO could be doing more to reduce overall pollution and fuel consumption in the city.

[Houston19514]

My question is why are we so late in getting to this? I mean, it wasn't like these buses were developed last year. They've been out for at least 5 years, maybe a decade.

Why is OUR Metro so late to the game in everything?

sometimes it's wise not to be buy the first ones off the assembly line. And trust me, all of the Metro bashers would have been lining up to complain if Metro had bought early hybrids and then had trouble with them. It seems noteworthy that San Francisco got its first hybrid buses only a year ago.

Edited July 9, 2008 by Houston19514

[Houston19514]

My question is why are we so late in getting to this? I mean, it wasn't like these buses were developed last year. They've been out for at least 5 years, maybe a decade.

Why is OUR Metro so late to the game in everything?

And even more to the point, some fact-checking might be in order before you commence your Metro bash-fest. Metro has been adding hybrids to the fleet since 2002.

[RedScare]

And even more to the point, some fact-checking might be in order before you commence your Metro bash-fest. Metro has been adding hybrids to the fleet since 2002.

So, maybe the question should be, "Why are the METRO bashers so late to figure out what METRO is doing?" Is that what you're saying, 19514?

[MetroMogul]

One could make the argument that by delaying new bus purchases in order to spend the money providing greater service, METRO could be doing more to reduce overall pollution and fuel consumption in the city.

One could make the argument, it just wouldn't be true. Besides, Metro doesn't really need any more new buses, it has purchased 700 in the past eight years. It's oldest buses are a fleet of about 50 commuter coaches which are 15 years old. The oldest local buses are just turning 12 years old thos month. Why do those buses need replacing? Replacing the RTS-04 buses when they were 12 would have been absurd. Even the crummy Grumman rebuilds made 18. The Wilson administrations mindset is flash over substance. They are using shiny new buses to run their subpar service and hoping no one will notice. I'd prefer expanded comprehensive and reliable bus service with the current fleet over a fleet of hybrids running the same impossible and maddening service.

And even more to the point, some fact-checking might be in order before you commence your Metro bash-fest. Metro has been adding hybrids to the fleet since 2002.

You're right, but converting four buses which had been out of service for well over a year after another alternative feul experiment failed is hardly adding to the fleet. Those four hybrids really didn't hit their stride until about 2005. Before then they would be out of service for months at a time. With that said, I do prefer the four 4100 series hybrids over the 3500 series we have now.

[CDeb]

One could make the argument, it just wouldn't be true.

Of course, but my statement was meant to be a hypothetical designed to counter knee-jerk criticism (i.e. you can get more bang for your buck in terms of overall fuel useage and pollution by spending money on things besides flashy buses). I didn't mean to imply that METRO was actually doing that.