Metro Buys Nearly 500 Hybrid Buses

WASHINGTON - Metro will buy 452 hybrid buses from General Motors, with an option for 500 more.

The hybrid order from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is one of the largest GM has ever had. GM received orders for more than 1,700 hybrid buses from transit agencies in Washington, Philadelphia and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Metro, which already has about 400 compressed, natural gas buses, wants to phase out traditional diesel buses, but the new hybrids won't hit the streets until 2009. When they do, they will save Metro money on fuel, reduce emissions and will be quieter and more efficient than their diesel counterparts.

Metro Board member Emeka C. Moneme, who also is the District's director of transportation, says there is a question that needs to be answered about the new buses.

"Where do you put those buses? I think that's a conversation that we as a Board and as an Authority need to think about," Moneme says.

"We have a limited capacity right now for bus storage. We're looking to do the new Southeast D.C. Village bus garage, but we still really need to think about where we are going to put these buses if they come online over the next five to 10 years."

According to a study conducted in 2006 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, GM's hybrid buses deliver up to 75 percent better fuel economy than traditional buses. Overall, the 1,732 buses ordered from GM will save an estimated 2.4 million gallons of fuel a year, the company said at the Washington Auto Show.

"General Motors shares a common goal with transit agencies in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul to improve fuel economy and reduce vehicle emissions with proven, durable hybrid technology," said GM Vice President of Vehicle Sales Service and Marketing Mark LeNeve, during the show.

"Energy diversity and environmental and technological leadership are a critical element of GM's business strategy and future success," says GM Vice President of Energy, Environment and Safety Policy Beth Lowery. "In the U.S., GM's strategy is to save as many gallons of fuel as possible by applying hybrid technology first to high-volume and high fuel-consuming vehicles such as mass transit buses."

By the end of 2008, GM plans to offer eight hybrid vehicles and intends to expand to 16 models by 2011.

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