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MTA may test new hybrid electric buses

By Marlene Naanes | mnaanes@am-ny.com

6:20 PM EDT, July 17, 2008

Library-quiet electric hybrid buses could be put to the test on city streets this fall.

Thirty futuristic-looking 40-foot buses will roll out on local routes in Manhattan beginning this September if the MTA board approves a $50 million-plus contract for a two-phase pilot project next week. If all goes well, the agency would then give the green light for the second phase, which would bring another 60 electric hybrid buses to the streets.

A smaller model of the buses proved successful during a 30-day trial run last fall on Manhattan and Queens bus routes. Transit officials are optimistic the buses will stand up to bumpy city streets during the pilot.

"We wouldn't be going through this step if we didn't think it was worth it," New York City Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges said.

The buses feature a hybrid electric turbine engine in place of a diesel engine, quieting down an operating bus to a whisper. The engines also do not require oil changes and some other maintenance, so the buses are better for the environment and cheaper to operate, transit said.

Transit already has 824 diesel hybrid buses in its fleet of 4,565 at a cost of $531,666 each. The new hybrid electric turbine engine buses cost an additional $28,136 a piece, but cuts down on maintenance costs.

"Over time, even though we're spending a bit more, the savings far outweigh the other buses," Fleuranges said.