July 13, 2007
B.C. Transit to forego hybrid buses in favour of diesels
Victoria, British Columbia - B.C. Transit (BCT), the provider of mass transit services in most of the province, has decided to forego purchasing hybrid buses in favour of diesels, according to a report from the Green Car Congress. BCT will continue to use diesels in the short-term.
The decision came after an in-service evaluation of six New Flyer hybrid buses in Victoria and Kelowna. BCT compared the hybrids to its existing 1992-2003 New Flyer diesels, and to the new Nova diesel bus. Although the hybrids offered up to 28 per cent better fuel economy than the older buses, the difference between the Nova bus was only around eight per cent. In the Kelowna service area, where average speeds are higher, the difference between the hybrid and the Nova was only about one per cent, and in some cases was worse.
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