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TABLE 42 The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
KING COUNTY METRO TRANSIT 40-FT BUS SUB-FLEET using Metro Transit's newest low-floor articulated buses,
Fleet ID Model Propulsion Year No. conducted a recent evaluation of hybrid technology (32). The
3600 D40LF Diesel 2003 100 buses were identical except for the propulsion system; the test
9000 Phantom 40 Diesel 1999 6 fleet was made up of 20 hybrid articulated buses and the con-
3200 Phantom 40 Diesel 1997 210 trol fleet 20 diesel articulated buses. The test period was
12 months, and the service routes and vehicle-miles of the test
and control fleets were similar. A summary of the evaluation
ridership Express routes. The average age for the articulated results is given in Table 45.
fleet buses is 5.5 years and for the 40-ft fleet buses 8.1 years.
The evaluation results show a significant improvement in
Maintenance data for 2006 were obtained for both the fuel cost (17 cents per mile) with only a small increase in the
articulated and 40-ft fleets. The annual miles traveled per bus maintenance cost of the hybrid propulsion system (1 cent per
ranges from 35,000 to 37,000 (see Table 43). mile) when compared with the diesel control fleet.
The loss of passenger seats when changing from standard These findings, in combination with the findings in chap-
floor to low-floor bus design is apparent in Table 43. For the ter four, indicate that hybrid propulsion technologies offer a
seating arrangement chosen by Metro Transit, one low-floor promising approach to overcoming some of the concerns
articulated bus is equal to approximately 1.6 low-floor 40-ft expressed with respect to articulated buses, in particular,
buses on a passenger seat basis. Comparing the standard floor with respect to the issues of acceleration and fuel economy in
models, the factor would be 1.5. The weighted average for all frequent stop-and-go types of operations.
sub-fleets is one articulated bus is equal to 1.57 40-ft buses
on a seat basis. If one applies those factors to the operational
data in Table 43, an operational cost on a passenger seat basis SAFETY ISSUES
is obtained and the results are given in Table 44. Safety Considerations Related
to Higher Capacity Buses
On a seat-mile basis, the articulated fleets are less costly
than the 40-ft fleets in both maintenance costs and fuel. Any The operation of HC buses does not appear to create signif-
comparisons of the road call experience is complicated be- icant safety concerns. However, two considerations related
cause the average age of the total articulated fleet is approx- to safety were identified. The first concerned double-deck
imately 2.5 years less than the total 40-ft fleet. buses and the potential safety concern created by the interior
TABLE 43
KING COUNTY METRO TRANSIT OPERATIONAL DATA FOR ARTICULATED
AND 40-FT BUS SUB-FLEETS
Maintenance Cost Miles Between Fuel Economy
Fleet ID Propulsion Seats ($/vehicle-mile) Road Calls (mpg)
2600--Articulated Hybrid 58 0.7103 5,628 3.5
2800--Articulated Diesel 58 0.7198 4,424 2.4
2300--Articulated Diesel 64 0.8352 4,123 3.4
Weighted Average 61.2 0.7768 4,763 3.4
3600--40-ft Diesel 35 0.5846 5,069 4.1
9000--40-ft Diesel 42 0.3829 9,552 5.1
3200--40-ft Diesel 42 0.6000 6,494 4.5
Weighted Average 38.9 0.5775 7,539 4.5
Source: King County Metro Transit.
TABLE 44
OPERATIONAL DATA COMPARED ON A SEAT-MILE BASIS FOR METRO TRANSIT SUB-FLEETS
Maintenance Cost Seat-Miles Between Fuel Economy
Fleet ID Propulsion Seats ($/seat-mile) Road Calls (seat-miles/gal.)
2600--Articulated Hybrid 58 0.0122 203
2800--Articulated Diesel 58 0.0124 139
2300--Articulated Diesel 64 0.0130 218
Weighted Average 61.2 0.0126 7,478 207
3600--40-ft Diesel 35 0.0167 143
9000--40-ft Diesel 42 0.0091 214
3200--40-ft Diesel 42 0.0143 189
Weighted Average 38.9 0.0142 7,539 182
