Speakers at the hybrid press conference included (from left): Dave Kircher, air resources manager, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency; King County Executive Ron Sims; Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; and Elizabeth Lowery, vice president, GM Environment and Energy.

The first of King County Metro Transit's new state-of-the-art hybrid buses have arrived and will start carrying passengers Saturday, June 5.

The 235 hybrids have been purchased to replace aging buses now operating on routes using the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel – 213 will be deployed by Metro and 22 by Sound Transit.

The first two dozen hybrid buses will go in service in South King County on Metro routes 101, 150 and 194. They will be added to routes on the Eastside in late summer, and Seattle and North Seattle in the fall. All 235 buses should be in service by the end of 2004.

"This hybrid bus is a first of its kind - and it's not surprising that it is showing up here first," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We led the region on converting to ultra low-sulfur fuel, and now we are on the cutting edge for hybrid technology."

The hybrid bus operates on both Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) and electricity that is generated within the vehicle and stored in batteries on the roof. It eliminates the need for overhead wires inside the tunnel, which is important since work begins next year to retrofit the tunnel to carry both buses and light rail.

"We needed a large bus that was clean, efficient, and met some unique operating needs," said Sims. "As we explored options, we decided that hybrid technology had the best potential to meet our clean-air and operating requirements."

Plans for replacing buses that use the Seattle downtown tunnel began several years ago with Metro's Bus Procurement Committee – a group of bus drivers, maintenance workers and managers who collaborated on what they thought would work best in King County. Their ideas were turned over to a group of national manufacturers who worked together to create the new hybrid bus. That team included: New Flyer of America; Allison Transmission, a division of General Motors; and Caterpillar.

Sims said the hybrid purchase demonstrates Metro's and Sound Transit's willingness to explore every possible alternative for cost-effective, clean-air transportation. Replacement of the current fleet of tunnel buses will save approximately $3.5 million annually in fuel and maintenance costs. Those savings will be reinvested in expanded service as outlined in Metro's six-year transit plan.

At the official hybrid roll-out in Seattle last week, Sims thanked Sen. Patty Murray, a high-ranking member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. He said Murray played a key role in securing the federal funding that helped cover the price difference between a standard diesel bus and a hybrid. The hybrids cost $645,000 each – approximately $200,000 more than a new diesel bus.

Murray, who also attended the event, said that federal funding of hybrid technology is money well spent, and she will continue to encourage other states, counties and cities to pursue this technology for their transit fleets.

"I am very proud of my home state and the vision that King County has shown in this initiative," said Murray. "Ron Sims should be congratulated on his environmental leadership. The decision to buy clean-air, hybrid buses is an important step toward protecting the area's environment while reducing traffic congestion."

Watch video on the hybrid bus debut (Windows Media)
Watch video on the hybrid bus debut (Real Media)
Text transcript of video

Top

On May 12, King County Roads Services Division maintenance staffers were contacted to provide assistance in rescuing a dog that was trapped in a storm drain in the Skyway area.

When maintenance workers arrived, firefighters and animal control officers were attempting to rescue a dog trapped in a 12-inch enclosed pipe, approximately 50 feet from the catch basin. Maintenance staff removed the catch basin grate, then firefighters flushed water into the catch basin, while animal control staff coaxed the dog out of the opened culvert. The dog had apparently been in the culvert for one or two days. It was dirty and hungry, but otherwise fine.

The joint efforts of the three agencies resulted in a successful rescue. As a preventative measure, maintenance workers installed a rack on the open end of the culvert to prevent other animals from entering the storm drain at this location in the future.

Top