School buses in the Baltimore area could be turning green.
To cut down on the pollution emitted from diesel buses, Harford County is trying to buy the first hybrid school buses in the region. There’s just one problem: the exorbitant cost.
A diesel bus usually costs about $90,000; a hybrid bus that needs to be plugged into an electrical socket to recharge can cost more than twice that amount, $200,000. A hybrid that does not plug in costs about $150,000.
Add in batteries that last seven years and cost thousands more, and a hybrid bus may not save much money, said Charles Taibi, director of transportation for Harford schools.
There are only 15 hybrid school buses on U.S. roads, according to Advanced Energy, an independent North Carolina nonprofit that aims to improve the environment.
But Harford schools — with the possible help of grants from the Environmental Protection Agency — are still hoping to use hybrids to create a healthier environment for students. An Advanced Energy study shows that hybrids can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40 percent.
“We’re pretty eager because, again, not only is it the fuel savings, but one of the things we strive for is to create a greener place for the school community, and this is another way to do that,” Taibi said.
“I don’t think that we will ever recoup the cost. Obviously, if the cost of fuel increases to $9 a gallon, then we’re talking about a different environment. But based on the current cost of diesel fuel, especially as we see it coming down, I don’t think the savings will be that great.”
The county plans to apply for grant money from the EPA this fall so the county can buy several hybrids for next school year. Reports have varied on the miles per gallon that hybrid buses get. Some say they are up to twice as efficient as diesel buses, getting 14 miles to the gallon compared with seven miles per gallon; other reports say hybrids get 10 miles to the gallon.
Harford has a history of using hybrid vehicles. Its government began buying hybrid cars for employees before most other counties caught on.
Officials from other counties in the Baltimore area said they were monitoring new technology they could use to save money on gas or to become more environmentally friendly, but they were making no plans to buy hybrid buses.
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