King County Pilots Biodiesel Fuel in Metro Buses        October 2003
King County Metro Transit began a pilot program in the fall of 2003 to test the use of biodiesel in its bus fleet. Metro will employ B20, a fuel blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent standard petroleum diesel, in approximately 10 buses, which will not require any modification to use the fuel. KCDOT said permanent, fleet-wide use of the alternative fuel will depend on the test results and the oil industry's ability to make the blend affordable and available in large volumes, according to the transit agency. Use of B20 in the entire bus fleet could reduce Metro's reliance on fossil fuel by as much as 1.7 million gallons a year.

Metro Transit Takes Delivery of Largest U.S. Fleet of Hybrid Buses       May 2004
King County Metro Transit unveiled its new diesel hybrid electric buses on May 27 and announced that the first of these buses will start carrying passengers on June 5, 2004.

A total of 235 hybrid buses will replace aging buses now operating on routes using the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. All of the new buses are expected to be on the road by the end of the year.

The new hybrid buses will operate on both ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and electricity that is generated on-board the vehicle and stored in batteries on the roof. The buses will eliminate the need for overhead wires inside the bus tunnel, an important factor given that work will begin next year to retrofit the tunnel to carry both buses and light rail. Standard diesel buses could not be operated in the bus tunnel because their fumes would contaminate the tunnel air.

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

With a price tag of $645,000, the high-tech buses are more expensive than standard diesel buses by more than $200,000. But the transit agency expects to benefit from a savings of approximately $3.5 million annually in fuel and maintenance costs. Metro estimates that the buses, which will constitute  16 percent of Metro's fleet, will save 750,000 gallons of fuel a year.

Senator Patty Murray, a high-ranking member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, played a key role in securing federal funding that helped cover the price difference between a standard diesel bus and the higher cost of the new hybrid technology. Murray has said that the federal funding for hybrid technology is money well spent. "I am very proud of my home state and the vision that King County has shown in this initiative," said Murray. 

The new buses will replace 236 Breda buses built in 1990-91. Plans for replacing the tunnel buses began several years ago with a group of bus drivers, maintenance workers and managers collaborating on what they needed from the new buses. 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.

The new hybrid buses are comprised of state-of-the-art technology and are comprised of components from a collaboration of manufacturers: Bus assembled by New Flyer of America; Hybrid drive built by Allison Transmission, a division of General Motors; Engine built by Caterpillar; Seats by American Seating; HVAC system by Thermo King; Axles by M.A.N.