Welcome to the 21st Century, NYC buses

No, that’s not a Wachovia ad; it’s a hyrbrid bus. (Photo by Librado Romero/The New York Times)

The New York City buses are the under-appreciated and oft-maligned part of the City’s vibrant public transportation network. Some people swear by the bus system, especially those that run crosstown, while others bemoan the slower-than-walking speeds and unreliable service as evils of the bus system. Still others would like to see the MTA be more aggressive with the buses by working with the Department of Transportation to set up dedicated Bus Rapid Transit lanes.

Love ’em or hate ’em, buses serve as a great complement to the subway system, and this morning, I’ve got two bus stories for you. Both of them involve technological upgrades to the bus system. We start with state-of-the-art hybrid automobile technology.

Yesterday, William Neuman wrote about the new hybrid buses the MTA is testing. While the city already has hybrid buses — 600 hybrids out of a fleet of 4400 — that run, as hybrid cars do, with a mix of battery and diesel power. The new bus, a product of Design Line International, looks different than any current New York City bus and runs on 100 percent battery power. Take it away, Cityroom:

The test bus is different in that it runs on battery power all the time. It has a diesel engine, but that is used only to charge the battery, although the bus also uses the brakes for that purpose. The diesel engine is different too. It is a turbine engine.

Jerry Higgins, the director of new bus technology for New York City Transit, said the manufacturer predicts the bus will get about seven miles per gallon, which is about double the fuel efficiency of the transportation authority’s current hybrid bus fleet.

Wow. I had no idea that hybrid buses got just 3.5 miles per gallon. I can only wonder what the 3800 non-hybrid buses are doing to our air, and I have to believe that those empty buses running late at night aren’t doing the environment any favors. For that reason alone, I’m in favor of a more fuel efficient bus, but this bus may just be a one-time test. According to the MTA, they will test this bus in various boroughs for two months before deciding whether or not to place an order.

Meanwhile, as the MTA looks into technology that would improve our environment, they’re also gearing up to implement bus signs telling riders just how many more minutes they’ll have to wait for the next bus. While other countries have enjoyed this technology for years, the MTA hasn’t figured out how to implement GPS bus tracking yet. A recent report on WNYC talks about the ways in which the MTA is using GPS technology to keep bus schedule regular and let riders know how long they’ll have to wait.

Beth Fertig, at our excellent public radio station, reports:

So far, only 7 bus routes are taking part in the 7 million dollar pilot study – all in midtown and the Upper East Side. There are only 15 display signs in the bus shelters, not all of which are working. New York City Transit acknowledges there are still a few glitches. Officials wanted to experiment in the busiest parts of Manhattan because that’s where GPS encounters the most interference from tall buildings and the traffic is heaviest.

If it all goes right, the MTA will expand this program to the rest of the city at a cost of $78 million. They will also attempt to integrate real-time bus information into their Website. But that just sounds like we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

It’s hard to like these bus upgrades. For years, riders have bemoaned the lack of arrival information at bus shelters, and now we’re finally getting them. If the GPS timeframe is any indication, we should see those hybrid-turbine buses arrive at the same time as the Second Ave. subway.