You've probably seen hybrid cars on the road, but what about hybrid buses? You'll soon see a new fleet on the road in Ames. Cyride will add twelve hybrid vehicles before class starts at Iowa State next month.
The new hybrid public transportation buses run like most buses, only quieter. Cyride Operations Supervisor Barb Neal says, "It actually drives pretty similar to a diesel bus"
The new buses are called cybrids. It's a hybrid bus run on biodiesel and electric power. Cyride Transit Director Sheri Kyras says, "When you brake, you generate energy. That energy is stored and used when you accelerate."
Kyras says that means a cleaner and greener ride on the twelve new busses. The cybrids produce a third less emissions. She says, "With all 12 vehicles that's over a half a million additional carbon reduction that we're able to contribute to the air quality."
Kyras says the buses will also cut down on fuel costs, saving Cyride $50,000 every year. But, she says the hybrids are more expensive. A cybrid costs $120,000 more than a regular diesel bus. Federal funding helped pay for most of the $6 million investment. Kyras says, "Mainly through the stimulus funding and we got a special grant called Tiger that Ames received that allowed us to go to that hybrid configuration for the vehicles."
This weekend, Cyride will unveil the new fleet, including the side of the bus that carries a special message. Kyras says, "The design you'll see on Saturday is the design the community chose. This design received about 48,000 out of the 80,000 votes in the community for the hybrid vehicles." The unveiling is 3 p.m. Saturday, July 31 at the Cyride headquarters in Ames. It's located at 1700 University Boulevard.
The new hybrid public transportation buses run like most buses, only quieter. Cyride Operations Supervisor Barb Neal says, "It actually drives pretty similar to a diesel bus"
The new buses are called cybrids. It's a hybrid bus run on biodiesel and electric power. Cyride Transit Director Sheri Kyras says, "When you brake, you generate energy. That energy is stored and used when you accelerate."
Kyras says that means a cleaner and greener ride on the twelve new busses. The cybrids produce a third less emissions. She says, "With all 12 vehicles that's over a half a million additional carbon reduction that we're able to contribute to the air quality."
Kyras says the buses will also cut down on fuel costs, saving Cyride $50,000 every year. But, she says the hybrids are more expensive. A cybrid costs $120,000 more than a regular diesel bus. Federal funding helped pay for most of the $6 million investment. Kyras says, "Mainly through the stimulus funding and we got a special grant called Tiger that Ames received that allowed us to go to that hybrid configuration for the vehicles."
This weekend, Cyride will unveil the new fleet, including the side of the bus that carries a special message. Kyras says, "The design you'll see on Saturday is the design the community chose. This design received about 48,000 out of the 80,000 votes in the community for the hybrid vehicles." The unveiling is 3 p.m. Saturday, July 31 at the Cyride headquarters in Ames. It's located at 1700 University Boulevard.
