Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 22, 2009

Vice President Biden announces new initiative at Metro facility on Earth Day

Metro to apply for millions of dollars to buy hybrid-electric buses

Metro plans to apply for $15 million in Recovery Act funds to buy hybrid-electric buses under an Energy Department program announced today (April 22) by Vice President Joe Biden at a Metro facility in Landover, Md.

“The Department of Energy is going to make $300 million in funding available to state and local governments and transit authorities to expand the nation’s fleet of clean, sustainable vehicles with a fueling infrastructure available to them so they run,” Vice President Biden said on Earth Day.



The vice president was joined by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, United States Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) at Metro’s Carmen Turner Maintenance and Training Facility.

The Clean Cities Program offers the funding to support at least 30 alternative fuels or advanced vehicles projects around the country and requires a 50 percent participant cost share.

“If awarded these funds, Metro would use the money to help buy 150 hybrid-electric buses, which are less polluting and burn 10 percent less fuel than our current diesel buses,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe.

Catoe said the transit agency saves about a million gallons of fuel every year by using hybrid-electric buses. Metro has a fleet of more than 1,500 buses – 1,000 are diesel buses, 461 run on Compressed Natural Gas fuel and 74 are hybrid-electric buses. Metro hopes to have nearly 500 more hybrid-electric buses by 2012 – almost half could be paid for with American Recovery and Re-investment Act funds.

The transit agency also plans to apply for millions of dollars in Recovery Act grant program funds, which could pay for rail, bus and security improvements.

Media contact for this news release: Candace Smith or Lisa Farbstein at 202-962-1051.

News release issued at 3:05 pm, April 22, 2009.