With Higher Fuel Costs Creating More Mass Transit, Buses Are Going Green

Over the past year the public mass transit system has seen an increase in business like no other year. Perhaps it is the high fuel cost at the pump (although down recently) or just people trying to squeeze everything they can out of every last dollar due to a bad economy. Whatever the case may be, the trend will likely continue and the logical next step will be to have our buses and other sources of mass transit go green using sources such as natural gas.

The concept isn't as new as you might think. Natural gas buses have operated for years in the United Sates in places like California and for decades in other countries. According to Los Angeles Metro there are currently 200 Metro Liners that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) that make runs along the Los Angeles basin that is notorious for its poor air quality. The 60 foot luxury liners are a prime example of what can be accomplished when you combine an internal combustion engine with natural gas used to propel it (source: greencar.com).

School buses are also getting into the mix with many school districts across the nation getting into the CNG action. Besides being better for our children when it comes to the exhaust that is being expelled, studies have shown that 90 percent less soot is emitted into the air with a CNG bus than that of a typical diesel bus, which is good for the environment as well. While the CNG fueled buses are more costly to purchase, the lower operating costs can help to quickly recoup the initial loss (source: greencar.com).

CN is also becoming the choice among many fleet vehicles that operate in or around some of the countries busiest airports. Many of these hubs have a public access refueling facility that can not only refuel the airport vehicles, but also rental cars, shuttle buses and regular buses (source: greencar.com). So as the number of vehicles fueled by CNG expands the facility will already be in place to accommodate their refueling needs.

The success of CNG fueled vehicles is leaving the door wide open for a variety of other technologies to come such as hydrogen. HCNG, a blend of 10 to 50 percent hydrogen to go along with CNG, provides a way to build early demand for a hydrogen infrastructure well before hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are ready and affordable. There have already been several transit agencies, including SunLine Transit in Palm Springs, California and TransLink in Vancouver, British Columbia, that have tested HCNG in regular passenger service (source: greencar.com).

So with CNG technology thriving and more technologies coming, not only will people be able to take advantage of the mass transit system, but also know that they are doing so in an eco-friendly way. With the growing trend of more people on the public mass transit and the growing number of agencies in need of fleet vehicles, it seems only right that the next logical step will be to make our street buses, shuttle buses, school buses and fleet vehicles more energy efficient and more green.