12-22-04
Contact: Paul Griffo
Telephone: (202) 366-4043
Pittsburgh will see its first hybrid-electric buses, thanks to a $6.6 million federal grant, Federal Transit Administrator Jennifer L. Dorn announced today. In addition to six hybrids, the grant will allow 14 conventional buses to be added to the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s bus system.
“Buses purchased with this grant will mean a safer, more efficient commute for Pittsburgh riders, and a cleaner environment for everyone,” said Administrator Dorn. “As hybrid-electric bus technology improves, and the composition of Pittsburgh’s bus fleet changes, we can also look forward to much greater mileage, meaning greater savings for taxpayers.”
Hybrid-electric buses have propulsion systems that are powered by both a small diesel engine and electric motors. In addition to operating more efficiently and being environmentally friendly, the new hybrid-electric coaches provide a much quieter ride than traditional coaches while enhancing power.
The grant announced today will finance the purchase of a total of 20 new buses. Besides the six hybrids, the Port Authority will purchase twelve 40-foot buses and two articulated buses (a 60-foot, three-axle bus with an "accordion" section in the middle that allows the bus to bend).
This grant will help the Port Authority to continue its bus modernization program, which over the last five years has added 525 new buses and reduced the average age of its 1,000-bus fleet to 5.9 years. While also ensuring 100 percent compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the program has included the purchase of 325 low-floor buses, 75 mini buses, 60 35-foot buses, 40 suburban coaches and 25 articulated buses – enabling the Port Authority to respond to a variety of operational needs.
The articulated buses, critical to operations along the Port Authority’s popular Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway, allow more people to ride per bus, reduce crowded morning and evening bus commutes and are more cost efficient to operate.
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