New Metro Mobility buses sport a new look and new technology
Metro Mobility’s first hybrid electric vehicles are now on the road. The 15 new buses, purchased with federal stimulus dollars, replace 15 high-mileage diesel vehicles in the existing fleet. Metro Mobility is a public transportation service for people with disabilities and is operated by the Metropolitan Council.
The buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts and other safety features and cost $110,000 each. The funds to purchase the buses came from $70.6 million appropriated to the Council earlier this year by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for metro-area transit projects. The bulk of the stimulus dollars for transit were used to purchase 90 buses for the Metro Transit fleet, 27 small buses for dial-a-ride service, and help reduce a projected transit shortfall.
The new Metro Mobility hybrid buses sport the service’s new logo and striping.
“The Council fared very well under the stimulus program,” said Chair Peter Bell. “We not only secured new vehicles under this program, but vehicles that are more fuel efficient. That’s very much a priority for this Council.”
Buses improve fuel economy by 30%
Metro Mobility officials say they expect the new hybrid buses to improve fuel economy by nearly 30% and produce significantly fewer carbon emissions. In addition to the improved fuel economy, the hybrid technology should reduce wear on other major vehicle components and extend the life of the vehicles by 25%.
Customers will easily be able to spot the new buses, which sport the service’s new striping and logo. The new graphics are more integrated with Metro Transit’s to better reflect the region’s family of transit services.
More hybrids on the way
In addition to the initial appropriation from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Council and Metro Mobility applied for and received another $1.1 million in competitive stimulus monies that will be used to purchase an additional 10 hybrid electric buses for the Metro Mobility fleet.
The grant was awarded as part of the FTA’s 2009 Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program. These vehicles are scheduled to arrive late next summer.
The Council was one of 43 entries awarded funding to purchase “cutting-edge environmental technologies.” Bell said the Council continues to seek out and secure federal economic stimulus funds to benefit metro area residents.