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The first Pace-owned hybrid buses will be transporting riders throughout Schaumburg and Elgin as the company continues to examine how to invest in green technology.
Through a federal grant program, the Illinois Department of Transportation is providing green vehicles throughout the state. Pace received 10 such buses, which use a battery along with a gas-powered engine to reduce emissions. Five are running in Schaumburg as part of its Dial-A-Ride program, and the rest are in Elgin.
The Dial-A-Ride program provides access throughout Schaumburg and to nearby Harper College in Palatine. Village President Al Larson said Friday the 12-passenger buses are not only good for the environment, but for business.
“This provides access to shopping centers – the key to making Schaumburg the economic engine that it is,” he said.
The buses, which are not only green, environmentally-speaking, but green in color, operate on battery power when cruising or braking, said Pace Executive Director T.J. Ross, and that action saves energy and cuts down on emissions.
Pace officials will examine how well the hybrid buses work out, in the hopes of implement green technology into larger buses, he said.
“We want to learn as much as we can before making a larger purchase,” said Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot. Besides hybrid vehicles, the suburban bus company is looking into “compressed natural gas” vehicles.
However, Ross pointed out the current diesel fuel buses release just 1 percent of the emissions of the buses of the past.
“The new buses are far less polluting and very clean,” he said.
#Source: Trib Local Schamburg By Kate Thayer
http://triblocal.com/schaumburg/2011/10/31/green-buses-make-their-pace-debut/
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