All Things Travel: MBTA Saving Big On Fuel Costs
BOSTON (CBS) – No one appreciates lower fuel costs than the MBTA. The transportation authority could save as much as $450,000 in the final three months
of the year.
The MBTA uses about 460,000 gallons of gas a month and is currently paying $2.89 per gallon for fuel. That price may go lower. Recent purchases have saved 30 cents a gallon.
This week, the MBTA rolled out its new Flyer – 40 Foot Low Floor Hybrid Bus at the Haymarket downtown bus station that serves the North Shore. Forty of the new buses are being put into service. An additional 20 will be delivered in the first three months of next year.
The price tag per bus is $699,000 and they will go into service starting next week. That price includes spare parts and training.
The new buses are powered by Cummins clean diesel engines mated to a BAE hybrid electric drive system. Exhaust emissions are significantly reduced while mileage per gallon on fuel is almost doubled, but still less than 10 MPG.
Each new bus will be equipped with external bike racks and have LED lighting and designation signs. There are automated "next stop" announcements and on board video equipment for safety concerns. The LED lighting is warranted for 12 years.
In this week's election, voters turned down an annual indexed gas increase based on inflation. Transportation officials said this represents a $1 billion loss of revenue in the next 10 years.
With gas prices coming down, the average driver has seen the price of gas drop to less than three dollars a gallon at many stations with further reductions probable this winter. More supply and less demand account for the reduction of a barrel of oil to about $80.
The MBTA is moving ahead with plans to extend the Green Line to Medford, add Silver Line service to Chelsea and planning for Purple Line rail service to the South Coast of Massachusetts.
With South Station rail at capacity, the state has been attempting to purchase the U.S. Post Office Annex next to the station. The building would be torn down and more tracks added.
The MBTA is enjoying a record number of riders this year.
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