The 60-foot transit buses with multiple security cameras are provided by New Flyer of America, Inc., with a battery electric component supplied by BAE Systems’ Power & Propulsion Division.
Over time, the hybrid buses will save the County more than 850,000 gallons of fuel, while preventing 12,400 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from polluting the environment, officials said. And Westchester residents take an estimated 30 million trips on county buses each year.
“By adding hybrid buses to our transit system, we are reducing our environmental impact through lower emissions and supporting a healthier community," Latimer said.
The new buses can operate up to one mile on battery power alone, and are equipped with start-stop technology that automatically shuts down and restarts the internal combustion engine to reduce the amount of time the engine is idling, or stopped at a roadway intersection thereby reducing fuel consumption.
Westchester County’s Bee-Line system is the second largest transit bus fleet in New York state, behind New York City.
The hybrid buses will be fully integrated into the county’s Bee-Line fleet by the middle of 2019.
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