Posted on 09/13/2010 6:10:51 AM PDT by MichCapCon
In Flint, the city's transit authority bought a pair of $1.1 million electric buses that are zero-emission.
In Lansing, the city's transit authority purchased a 60-foot $783,000 hybrid bus.
Cities across Michigan are touting their new "green fleets" as good for the environment. Lansing's Capital Area Transit Authority claims its growing hybrid buses cut emissions by 90 percent.
But some transit experts are saying it is poor public policy and that the costs far exceed any environmental gain.
The "eco" buses can cost anywhere from 50 to 100 percent more than a regular diesel bus, and that doesn't include the infrastructure costs that tag along. For example, Flint's Mass Transportation Authority's web site states it has plans to spend $10 million converting 50 diesel buses to hybrid technology, at a cost of $200,000 per bus. Flint transit also wants to spend $5.2 million to modify its facilities for compressed natural gas fuel.
"This is dreadful public policy," said Wendell Cox, principal of Demographia, a public policy consulting firm in St. Louis, Mo. "On one hand, we ought to do everything we can for the environment. We need to attach a cost to that. In general, transit agencies don't do that. And neither does government."
Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, studied hybrid buses in Minneapolis. He found that the cost to reduce carbon dioxide for the Minneapolis hybrid bus was $1,000 per metric ton. O'Toole said the going rate in the marketplace is $10 per metric ton...
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...
MI ping on “green”
these cities deserve what they choose.
Maybe they could get a team of Grey Hound dogs to pull them around town.
failure to account for negative externalities
The rich (adjusted gross income of over $250K - snark) just need to pay more of their fair share so that we, the indigent, free-loaders and criminals, can get our free bus transportation! We are environmentally conscious, you know. /sarc
None of these buses are zero emissions. Yes, they may not emit anything from a exhaust pipe on the bus..
But they emit it at the power generation station!
MI is going down. CA and MI will be first to crash.
This cool cities crap is going to get people killed.
I went to town yesterday and found that they’re converting busy streets from two lanes in either direction to one lane in either direction with a single turn lane down the center and bike lanes on either side.
I saw a guy on a cycle almost get rear ended because he couldn’t switch lanes to pass someone doing 10mph under the speed limit.
Funny, we keep hearing that transit systems all over the country never have enough money... but yet they keep spending money on crap like this. Maybe if they used less costly buses, they could lower prices which would attract more riders.
A long time ago I saw a simple mechanical technology to save fuel on buses. They put a hydraulic system in with the drive shaft. To an extent, the bus would brake by engaging the shaft-driven hydraulic pump to compress the piston. When starting off, the piston’s potential energy would drive the shaft to get the vehicle going again. Most of the fuel used for city buses is in accelerating constantly from stops, and this alleviated that with a simple mechanical solution.
I wonder what happened to that.
They can't. Greyhound Buses is already trademarked.
They can't. Greyhound Buses is already trademarked.
Always predicted, Never happens. Getting boring.
It depends on why they are doing it, but it is not necessarily bad policy.
They list the electric vehicles as costing $1,100;
and they hybdrid (diesel/nat gas) as costing $783.
They said the new vehicles cost 50% to 100% more than just a diesel vehicle. So presumably the diesel are costing about $550 each.
They are retrofitting the diesels for $220 - about 1/2 the cost of a new vehicle.
Most of their effort appears going into nat gas and not into the electric.
Given that there have been a number of diesel shortages in recent years due to hurricans and other crises, having alternative fuel vehicles available may be cost effective.
There is a lot of nat gas available - assuming the 0 allows us to drill for it.
I went to town yesterday and found that they’re converting busy streets from two lanes in either direction to one lane in either direction with a single turn lane down the center and bike lanes on either side.
I’d love to see what’s happening to vehicle vs bicycle collision numbers.
I nearly ran over some moron riding down the middle of the lane on a local two lane highway the other day. I figured he would get over to the shoulder but no, he continued right down the center of the lane and I had to wait to pass him. That’s 15mph in a 55mph zone.
Its okay good folks.
More taxes will solve everything.
So pay up.
i agree.
there’s also a bicycle movement against cars in california.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.