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8 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 14, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Oakville Transit may pass on hybrid bus addition Town council has received a less than positive response to an inquiry about what it would take to add a hybrid bus to its fleet for 2009. The news came during a Tuesday meeting of the Community Services Committee at which staff presented a report noting the Town is simply not currently equipped to deal with a hybrid bus. In the report, Director of Transit Services Barry Cole noted the existing transit facility, located on Wyecroft Road, cannot support the maintenance of even one hybrid bus. "A hybrid bus requires either a ceiling hoist, which our facility is not structured for, or a stand alone, floor-mounted crane for the purpose of serving the roof-mounted batteries and components," he said. "In addition, every member of our maintenance staff would require specialized training solely for the purpose of maintaining a single vehicle. Specialized tools would have to be purchased and the maintenance schedules revised to consider the different requirements of a hybrid bus." "Hybrid technology is still evolving and shows tremendous promise with respect to reduced fuel consumption, improved reliability, reduced maintenance costs and environmental benefits, however, at present some users of hybrid buses are reporting less than satisfactory results." Barry Cole, director of transit services, Town of Oakville Cole added that even if all this equipment were available, there would be no room for it at the existing facility, which was originally constructed to store and maintain 42 buses, but will actually be housing more than 100 by July 2009. With this in mind, Cole recommended the committee hold off on the purchase of any hybrid bus until a new facility is constructed. As funding for the construction of such a facility is currently an issue, there is no set time as to The Zonta Club of Oakville would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors of Rhapsody in Yellow. Together we raised $40,000.00 to enable women that have suffered from domestic violence to attend Sheridan College. Thanks to Debbie Travis, TD Waterhouse, The Invidiata Team- Remaxaboutowne, Rosewater Spa, KCG Marketing, Isabella Briatico Designs, Dreamscreens, Carole Bertuzzi Luciani,CBL/worklife moodivator.ca, Yard Duty, Mackenzie Financial Corporation, GlaxoSmith Kline Foundation, Very's Flowers, Einsteins Brew House, Decluttering.ca-Steve Ilott, Bulldog Entertainment-David La Thangue, CHCH News, Quality Inn, Chez Louise, Cherish Photography, E.P. Consulting, Investors GroupJo Ann Cino, Colio Estate Wines, Johnathan Quinn for Men, inside story fine lingerie, Comfort and Joy Interiors, The Jalco Group,680 news, Blackforest Cake and Pastry Shop. Special appreciation to the Oakville firefighters, Burlington firefighters and Sheridan College-Jennifer Deighton. Without your kindness RIY would not have been the success it was -enabling a better life for these women and their children. Cherie Duvall (Chair RIY) when it will be built, however, Cole estimated completion of the facility could be as much as three years away. While Oakville's capacity to look after a hybrid bus was a major concern, Cole noted there were other reasons why the Town should hold off on purchasing one. The first reason was price as hybrid buses cost between $650,000 and $700,000 per unit making them $200,000 to $250,000 more expensive than a diesel bus. In addition to this, Cole indicated the application of hybrid technology for transit purposes is not living up to the hype. "Hybrid technology is still evolving and shows tremendous promise with respect to reduced fuel consumption, improved reliability, reduced maintenance costs and environmental benefits, however, at present some users of hybrid buses are reporting less than satisfactory results," said Cole. "All have reported that they have not yet realized the fuel consumption reductions claimed by the manufacturers." Cole noted in the report, that since 2006 Town staff have been observing the hybrid buses being used by the Toronto Transit Commission and the Hamilton Street Railway Company. For the TTC hybrid buses only, a 10 per cent reduction in fuel consumption was realized when they were supposed to reduce consumption by 15 to 25 per cent. Emissions reductions also failed to measure up with only a 10 per cent reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions when the manufacturer claimed emissions would be reduced by 20 to 30 per cent. The hybrid buses of Hamilton also produced disappointing results. With this in mind, Cole noted that while the Town's bus fleet is not hybrid they are outfitted for maximum emissions reduction. "Oakville's entire fleet averages well below the standards set by the Ministry of the Environment. In the most recent test of our fleet, conducted by ministry staff, our average opacity reading (the measure of particulate matter) was 7.05 per cent, well below the upset standard of 30 per cent," said Cole. "Diesel engines on today's buses operate so clean that the further emission reductions offered by hybrid technology are relatively minor." With the report submitted the committee voted to accept the report and to push back consideration of purchasing a hybrid bus until the Transit Services Department's new facility is ready. This matter will come before council for final approval on Tuesday, Feb. 17.