Metro‘s hybrid-electric buses consistently break down more than the agency’s other new buses despite the hybrid’s higher cost, officials said.
The Examiner reported in March that the Metro’s fleet of 50 hybrid buses had faulty engines that the manufacturer was scheduled to replace this month.
But transit officials said Thursday that the hybrids tend to perform more poorly than both the clean diesel and compressed natural gas buses even when the hybrid’s engines are functioning properly.
“Typically, they don’t do as well as the others,” Metro’s bus operations chief Milo Victoria said. “I imagine the reason is it’s somewhat of a new technology and there are still some bugs with it.”
“I’ve heard the same thing at bus conferences from other transit systems,” General Manager John Catoe told a board of directors committee.
Each General Motors Hybrid bus costs at least $130,000 more than compressed natural gas or clean diesel buses, but hybrids are considered more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly.
Metro is expecting a delivery of 203 more hybrid buses in September.
“We’re ordering more of the ones that have performed more poorly and that cost more,” said Metro board chairman Chris Zimmerman, who voted against procuring hybrid buses when the board first considered the measure in 2005.
Catoe said the hybrid’s performance might improve as officials become more familiar with them.
“Compressed Natural Gas buses had the same issues until we figured out how to maintenance on the them,” he said. “I suspect that’s what’s going to happen here, but I’d like to go back and look at the research.”
The transit system first rolled out the buses in 2006.
Board members asked the staff to prepare an analysis of how much money the hybrid buses save the transit agency in fuel costs.
Over the past four months, the hybrids have averaged one breakdown about every 10,000 miles. The two other types traveled more than twice as far before breaking down, according to Metro statistics.
Victoria said the difference should become less drastic in a few weeks, when the buses’ faulty engines are scheduled to be replaced by the manufacturer.
