But a new report from the VTA says the $18 million state-mandated pilot project costs too much green - and raises troubling questions about whether the program should continue.
The most glaring figure: Zero-emission buses - or ZEBs - cost $51.66 to fuel, maintain and operate per mile compared with just $1.61 for a 40-foot conventional diesel coach. They break down much more frequently, and replacement parts are next to impossible to order, according to the report.
Further, the article also notes:
Although the cost of a new hydrogen-fuel-cell bus has fallen from about $3.5 million to $2.5 million, a diesel coach costs about $400,000. And ZEBs have on average traveled 1,100 miles before needing repairs in the VTA trial, while a typical diesel bus covers about 6,000 miles.
So, the VTA spent $6 million to buy 3 buses that are not cost-efficient, are expensive to maintain, and yet the state has mandated that transit agencies with 200 or more diesel buses must have 15% of those be zero emission by 2012. And the state is looking to expand these pilot programs. AC Transit uses hydrogen/diesel hybrids, an option that was not given to Santa Clara County. I can only imagine the eventual total cost to these transit agencies (and the residents of these counties) to meet these arbitrary goals and standards, what with transit agencies already overwhelmed and running over budget.
According to S.F. Muni, they use electric/diesel hybrids, with the hope to use biofuel-based diesel at some point in the future (oh great); these buses cost $500,000, and, apparently, have lower maintenance rates as well than the fuel cell buses.
What does this all mean? It means that Santa Clara County is spending well beyond its means to meet an ambitious goal, was not allowed by the State to figure out how to meet that goal cost-effectively, which resulted in them buying an expensive technology that does not appear to be commercially ready, and still has a due date in the future to purchase more of these money-losers. San Francisco, on the other hand, appears to have successfully navigated their way around this and come out. . .looking good? Am I even allowed to say that? I'm guessing SF Muni said, "hey, we have these hills to climb and this technology can't provide the power needed to get up and down these hills, so. . .can we figure out how to do it on our own?"
Two final things- 1) I like fuel cell technology, it's not like powering something with hydrogen is dangerous or anything; 2) I hate the S.F. Muni hybrid buses. Unless you are over 6 feet tall, you can't open the windows, if you're sitting down, you can barely look out the windows and there are 2 steps towards the back which wastes alot of space, in my opinion. Also, there is a short-bus version that has less seats, but the same 2 steps in the back. The short-bus version is quite prevalent on my bus route since it's an express route. I'm sure that will come as no surprise to some people that I sometimes ride the short bus.
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