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Montebello adds to hybrid bus fleet
MONTEBELLO, Dec 13, 2008 (San Gabriel Valley Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A fleet of 25 new hybrid buses will help the Montebello Bus Lines reduce fuel cost at a time when the state is cutting transportation funding, officials said.
The buses are part of a Federal Transit Administration's Cooperative Procurement Pilot Program. Montebello is the lead agency in the program that began May 2007.
The City Council unanimously approved a contract with New Flyer Industries of America Inc. for 25 hybrid gasoline-electric buses at a Wednesday meeting.
The $16 million in funding comes from federal and state grants, according to city documents.
At an annual fuel cost savings of about $40,000, the buses couldn't have come at a better time, according to Vehicle Maintenance Manager Tom Barrio.
"The savings will help us operate," Barrio said. "The state is pulling out more money from transit and the economy in a slump. This will help us stay afloat."
The city already operates 15 hybrid gasoline-electric buses and the additional 25 will be delivered over a five-month period beginning in September.
The new buses will replace 25 diesel-fuel buses that have exceeded the federal life expectancy by several years, Barrio said.
The hybrid buses consume less energy and produce significantly fewer emissions by combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor, according to Barrio.
The transportation department currently uses about a million gallons of diesel
fuel a year. That number will drop significantly with the arrival of the new buses.
"I am very proud of our new buses," Mayor Rosemarie Vasquez said. "We are able to go green here in the city. They've added a lot of safety features. I think that's great."
The 10 million commuters who annually ride the bus line may not notice much of a difference but the new buses will benefit the environment, Barrio said.
"We have to go green in as many things that we can go green in," Councilwoman Kathy Salazar said. "I think its important that we protect the future of our children by not having so much pollution in so many areas."
amanda.baumfeld@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2108
To see more of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper,
go to http://www.sgvtribune.com. Copyright (c) 2008, San Gabriel Valley Tribune,
West Covina, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For
reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or
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