Skip to main content

Clean diesel buses to power Maryland’s transit future

The Maryland Transit Administration is now in line to receive almost US$100 million to invest in 172 advanced clean diesel buses after receiving approval by the state’s spending board. The Baltimore Business Journal reported the new clean diesel buses will replace older vehicles – some which have been service for 15 years. The Maryland decision mirrors other significant orders of clean diesel and diesel-electric hybrid buses by transit agencies in major communities like New York, San Fran
February 2, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The Maryland Transit Administration is now in line to receive almost US$100 million to invest in 172 advanced clean diesel buses after receiving approval by the state’s spending board.
           
The Baltimore Business Journal reported the new clean diesel buses will replace older vehicles – some which have been service for 15 years.  

The Maryland decision mirrors other significant orders of clean diesel and diesel-electric hybrid buses by transit agencies in major communities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, and New Jersey.
 
“The Maryland Transit Administration made a strong and smart case for modernising its bus fleet, and the choice for clean diesel buses is the best choice,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum.  “New clean diesels not only cost far less than other alternative powertrains, but are as clean – or cleaner – than alternatives. In this instance, the new clean diesels will reduce NOx and particulate matter by as much as 95 percent compared to the 10 or 15-year old buses they replace.”
 
Among public transit agencies, Schaeffer said diesel and diesel-hybrid buses account for about 75 percent of the national fleet.
 
“In approving this expenditure, the Board of Public Works joins other major transit agencies around the country that are finding that clean diesel technology is the all-around best choice for public transportation from an economical and environmental perspective - it’s more clean public transportation for the dollar,” he concluded.

Related Content

  • May 28, 2014
    Smoothing out city freight movements
    David Crawford welcomes a national first. Urban freight movements, while commercially and socially vital, are a growing logistical headache for planners and people alike. Figures from France’s Lyon Laboratory of Transport Economics indicate that goods transport in major urban areas accounts for: 20% of traffic; 35% of CO2 emissions made by all urban trips; and 50% of the diesel used; while final km delivery runs account for 20% of the total cost of the transport chain.
  • November 3, 2017
    New mobility services could benefit city dwellers and make public transport more affordable
    New mobility services integrated into mass transit systems could improve the lives of all urban inhabitants and make public transport more affordable, accessible and sustainable, according to research from the Coalition for Urban Transitions (CfUT). It also presents the first global survey of new mobility services, and identifies emerging trends and opportunities for decision-makers in both the public and private sectors.
  • April 22, 2016
    NZ Bus transitioning to electric powered vehicles
    New Zealand-based infrastructure investment company has announced a US$30m deal with US electric vehicle powertrain manufacturer Wrightspeed to supply its Route 500, which it intends to deploy on its public transport business through NZ Bus. Wrightspeed's Route 500 range-extended powertrain is capable of powering vehicles weighing up to 36,000 pounds, in grades as steep as 40 per cent, and maintains an efficient drive, with an estimated 11.1 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent. The 80kW, fuel agnostic fulc
  • August 5, 2013
    Oregon tests new mileage-base charging scheme
    Jack Opiola from D’Artagnan Consulting LLP explains Oregon’s latest moves which mandated a trial of mileage-based road use charging. In 1919, Oregon made the 20th century’s most significant contribution to transportation funding policy, becoming the first state in America to implement a gas tax to pay for roads. This summer Oregon’s Legislature passed, and Governor John Kitzhaber signed into law, Senate Bill 810 which requires a distance-based road usage charge for 5,000 volunteer vehicles by 1 July 2015. T