MTA NYC Transit and MTA Bus Combine for 850 New Hybrid Electric Bus Order
25 October 2007
MTA New York City Transit and MTA Bus will take delivery of 850 new Orion VII low-floor hybrid electric buses by the end of 2009.
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| The Orion VII hybrid. Click to enlarge. |
The Orion VII is a series hybrid bus, and uses the BAE Systems HybriDrive.
The buses, manufactured by Daimler Commercial Buses North America, will be sourced from a 389-vehicle purchase option on a 2005 order and a modification to that order for an additional 461 buses, subject to approval by the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The MTA and NYC Transit have been pioneers in the development and deployment of hybrid bus technology, with experience going back more than a decade. The technology delivers lower exhaust emissions and improved fuel economy over standard buses. Bus customers also benefit from the low-floor design of the Hybrid Electrics, of which, NYC Transit currently operates the largest Hybrid fleet in the world, with 548 buses in service.
The base contract for 500 bus order for NYC Transit (216) and MTA Bus (284) was approved by the MTA Board in September of 2005. There is a 389-bus option to that contract, of which 284 buses will be assigned to NYC Transit and 105 to MTA Bus. The 461 buses from the new order will all serve NYC Transit routes.
The combined order will provide 745 new buses for NYC Transit and 105 for sister agency, MTA Bus. They will be delivered in time to serve a growing ridership and the increased equipment needs which will be generated by Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
ohhhhh a serial hybrid for bus applications. Interesting how there is no plug, but due to the low speeds of the bus I guess its serial setup makes sense as batteries can bleed their energy much slower than a idling diesel engine.
Posted by: philmcneal | 25 October 2007 at 01:47 PM
It would seem that hybrid buses have finally made serious inroads into the market. I wonder what fraction of the yearly new bus market hybrids now represent, much like we see figures showing market penetration of hybrid cars. Considering the size, fuel consumption rate, long hours of service and dense urban areas in which these things operate, this has got to the one of the most effective uses of hybrid technology going.
Posted by: NBK-Boston | 26 October 2007 at 11:22 AM
I personally hate the New Hybrid Electric Buses out there. I think the bus does not utilize space at all and instead of being more convenient for the huge population of people taking buses each day, they instead make things harder for commuters. First off, the ground is low which is good for the elderly and disabled, I agree, but the stairs at the back of the bus are very dangerous. People could fall on the way down as they struggle to get to the back door in time when they reach their stop. No one wants to go up the stairs because there is very little space to stand in the back and they do not want to fall. This leads to there being a huge amount of people in the front of the bus and as a result less people can get on. I groan to myself as the bus operator yells for people to "Move to the rear of the bus," and nobody listens becuse it is too uncomfortable to go back there. In addition, less people can get a seat because of it's clumsy design. There is a huge space in the front that has no seats. No one can utilize that space. There are less seats in the front before the stairs and above the stairs it is suffocating. I myself have taken the bus much less because of this new design. I don't feel comfortable riding at ground level because I would have to stretch to see what's out the window while in front and when I sit up in the back, I feel crowded. In additon, the smell of these buses make me sick; it has this certain smell that the other buses don't have. I'm sorry for this incredibly long rant, but I have been feeling this way about these buses for quite some time. I am glad that they have buses that are environmentally friendly, but I wish they had not compromised the great design of the buses they already had. I know this sounds awfully petty of me, but you have to understand that I live in an area where are simply too many people taking the bus and this does not help with our daily commute.
Posted by: P. M. | 10 June 2008 at 02:01 AM