After 10 months of anxious waiting, King County Metro Transit has taken delivery on a prototype hybrid diesel-electric bus. It is the very first 60-foot articulated hybrid vehicle to operate anywhere in the world.

The new hybrid can also go anywhere in Metro's system with ease. There are no limitations to its application, because it is fuel efficient and not dependent on overhead wires. Now, Metro’s challenge is to see if this futuristic bus will meet the needs of King County transit passengers for the next decade and beyond.

"This new bus won’t have it easy in the coming weeks. We are going to try to wear it out," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We’ll be driving it - loaded with barrels of water instead of passengers - for 12 to 18 hours a day. This bus will meet some of King County’s greatest driving challenges. It will face off against the Queen Anne counter-balance. It will make the long haul to Enumclaw, and the short hop to Ballard. And, it will take on the Renton S-curves at rush hour."

The new bus could significantly increase transit productivity, while protecting the environment by decreasing harmful emissions. And, it could be the answer for replacing the buses that now operate in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.

"We need this bus to take us to new places, and replace at least 200 of the aging buses that now operate in the downtown tunnel," said Sims. "We are currently designing ways to make the tunnel work for both buses and Sound Transit’s light rail project. What we think we have here is the bus that will make it possible for people from throughout the region to continue to use the tunnel once light rail is operational."

The prototype bus that Metro will be road testing in the coming weeks was built by New Flyer Industries, with a hybrid electric drive supplied by Allison Transmission, a division of General Motors. The big bus works much like the small hybrid cars that are becoming so popular with consumers these days. In the bus, electricity is generated by a computer-managed diesel engine. That electricity is stored for future use, and can reduce fuel consumption by 20 to 40 percent.

The hybrid bus is also extremely clean when it does burn diesel. Like every other Metro bus, this vehicle will use ultra, low-sulfur diesel fuel. Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are reduced by as much as 99 percent. There is no diesel exhaust odor, fuel efficiency is increased, and the on-road performance is improved.

"This is a bus that renews King County’s commitment to the cleanest possible engine technology available, and it is as clean as buses fueled by natural gas," said Metro General Manager Rick Walsh. "It demonstrates Metro’s willingness to explore every possible alternative for cost-effective transportation."

Walsh said that as the hybrid bus is test driven in the weeks ahead, people might notice something a little strange about its "passengers."

"Since we want to operate this bus with maximum loads for 12 to 18 hours at a time, we are giving human passengers a break and using containers of water to simulate a bus with every seat occupied and people standing in the aisle," said Walsh.

The only human aboard will be the driver, who will be ferrying approximately five dozen 40-gallon sealed boxes of water strapped into seats and placed in the aisles.

If all goes well with the road testing, Metro could be placing an order for up to 200 new hybrid buses as early as next spring with delivery expected in 2004.