Chicagoist: CTA Introduces New Hybrid Buses

Tower18

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:24:14 -0600

They ride much, much better than the NABI articulated buses we currently have. However, I have been on 3 buses (I suppose it could have been the same one over and over) where the back door had serious issues...sometimes it wouldn't recognize it needed to open, and other times it would continuously auto-open when no one was touching it, requiring the driver to manually do something or other to fix it.

sparky

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:07:49 -0600

sodium: I had the chance to meet with Huberman and this question came up, and he said that these were much better. If I remember correctly, the CTA is suing the manufacturer of those crappy buses. I hate how my teeth seem to chatter on those buses.

shoretoplease

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:44:18 -0600

I've been on these a couple of times now on the 156 LaSalle route. They're much, much, much better in every way -- very quiet, relatively smooth ride by bus standards, and they've rearranged the seats so it seems a whole lot more spacious inside. My only qualm is that the new LED lighting is strange -- it's very bright but has an odd blue-ish tint. Overall, however, these are a big improvement. Two thumbs up.

Slaphappy

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:31:14 -0600

If you're talking fuel efficiency, the biggest, most achievable gains will be made among buses and other vehicles with terrible MPG. Yeah, 3.6MPG sucks compared to my Toyota, but I'll take a 50% gain gladly.

sodium11

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:16:31 -0600

The bus wins by a lot. If the bus gets 3.6mpg, then as long as you have at least 7 people on that bus, the collective efficiency is better than having each passenger individually driving a 25mpg car. My question is -- are these buses better than the crappy articulated buses that are now in use (e.g. on the Lakeshore Drive express routes) that suffer from roof leaks and excessive shaking/bouncing over bumps?

BlueFairlane

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:15:16 -0600

In answer to tecki, let's say both groups of people travel 100 miles in their respective manners. The group in the bus will use 27.8 gallons of fuel. The group in their individuals cars will collectively use 500 gallons of fuel, or four gallons each. Thus, the inefficient bus is far, far, far more efficient.

tecki

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:48:38 -0600

How does one vehicle carrying 125 people at 3.6 mpg compare to 125 vehicles carrying 1 person each at 25 mpg?