Metro News Release

For immediate release: May 4, 2006

Metro Committee Authorizes Purchase of New Cleaner, Environmentally Friendly Metrobuses

Metro’s Board Planning and Development Committee endorsed spending $386 million over the next six years to continue the Metrobus fleet expansion, renewal and replacement program. The plan includes buying 25 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses in fiscal year 2007, purchasing up to 500 hybrid/electric buses with options for an additional 500 buses in fiscal years 2008 to 2012, and participating in a new fuel cell bus technology program.

The full Board will vote on the proposal at the May 18 Metro Board meeting.

"In 2000, Metro’s Board of Directors expressed the goal of improving the Metrobus fleet by buying buses with proven technology that produced the lowest levels of emissions," said Jack Requa, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer for Metrobus. "Metro has made improvements in the procurement and efficiency of the bus fleet, and our current plans include retiring 16-to-19 year-old buses and replacing them with 250 CNG, 50 diesel hybrid electric and 117 clean diesel technology buses. The new buses will be in service in the Washington region by this summer."

Metro officials have been reviewing different types of alternative fuels to help reduce emissions of the Metrobus fleet. After a comprehensive review, Metro believes the best alternative for the standard replacement technology of buses is through the hybrid electric bus based on reliability, fuel economy, emissions, quietness of the bus and overall performance.

Metro’s early experience with hybrid buses shows a fuel savings of 10 percent with expectations that savings will increase to over 20 percent.

News release issued on May 4, 2006.