Metro's new hybrids hit the streets

Narrator Says:

As people turn to King County Metro Transit in record numbers, the introduction of 22 new articulated hybrid buses is making the ride a little easier for many passengers.

Metro has already put more than half of the 22 new buses in service, and all of them will be on the road within the next week.

Existing hybrids in the fleet will also be reassigned so that the larger coaches are spread across the system to ease overcrowding on some of Metro’s busiest routes.

At least 40 week-day trips that are currently overcrowded and operating with standard 40-foot buses will be assigned larger coaches.

Once all 22 new hybrids are in service, they will help relieve overcrowding on about 90 weekday trips.

The new buses will also push the hybrid total in Metro’s fleet to 236, which is the largest hybrid fleet in North America.

This newest generation of hybrids is the result of an innovative partnership first announced by King County Executive Ron Sims in May of 2007 between Metro, New Flyer, General Motors and Cummins Engine Company.

The hybrids in Metro’s fleet have already proven themselves to be excellent performers.

They provide a smoother, quieter ride and are estimated to burn about 30 percent less fuel than a regular diesel bus.

They also significantly cut carbon emissions and require less maintenance.

King County Metro Transit Vehicle Maintenance Manager Jim Boon Says:

In 2004, the emissions on the hybrid fleet we put on the road then, we met the latest EPA regulations, and there was a new set of standards for 2007 diesel engines and we meet that standard. The next plateau we reach for will be in 2010 and those standards are already written and the engine manufacturers are working to make the devices necessary. So we'll step up to the plate on every one of those deliveries with new vehicles.

And then the reliability, our first delivery of hybrid buses was a real treat for us. The utilization of the vehicles is very high, the reliability is excellent. And we fully expect these to be in that same regard. We've had the buses out on the road now for three weeks. Operators have come back with very few comments, the reliability has been excellent. And so we really expect these buses to be just as good as what we've had the last four years.

Narrator Says:

Performance isn’t the only area where these hybrids are an upgrade.

The new buses also feature new interiors with better seats and newer straps to hold onto for standing passengers.

Passengers aboard the new buses say they’re impressed with the new look.

Metro Route 150 Rider Stan Curntes Says:

This bus is actually better than they used to be. It has better seats, newer seats. It's got cameras, it looks newer, it's got more bars to hold on to. It's really nice to ride on.

Narrator Says:

The next order of 30 new hybrids is set to arrive in 2009, with additional deliveries scheduled in the coming years, as Metro rolls out the first phase of RapidRide Bus Rapid Transit on five busy corridors in the county.