Articulated BusesCapital and Operating Costs

Purchase Price (Source: Department of Transportation, 2006 Database)

Model Dimensions (L-W-H, ft) &

Weight

Price Capacities, Floor, Doors

Fuel and Propulsion

Customers

NABI 60 LFW

Conventional Articulated

60-102-11642,800 lbs

$525,000 to $725,000

Seats—62 Standees—31Total—93 2 or 3 DoorsLow Floor

Diesel, CNG or Diesel-Hybrid

Fuel Economy:Not Stated

• Chicago Transit Authority

New Flyer DE60LF

Conventional Articulated

61-102-13242,700 lbs

Not Stated Seats—62 Standees—53Total—115 Low FloorUp to 3 Doors

Diesel, Diesel-Hybrid, or Gasoline-Hybrid

Fuel Economy:3.8 mpg—Diesel 5.1 mpg—H-E

• Seattle, WA (King County)• Seattle, WA (Sound Transit)• Albuquerque, NM (Albuquerque Transit)• Honolulu, HI (The Bus)

NABI 60 BRT

Stylized Articulated (used in BRT)

60-102-13747,200 lbs

$650,000 to $850,000

Seats—62 Standees—30 Total—92 Low Floor

Diesel, CNG, LNG, Diesel-Hybrid

Fuel Economy:Not Stated

• LA Orange Line• RTPA, City of Mesa, AZ• Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA

New Flyer DE60LF-BRT

Stylized Articulated

61-102-13643,700 lbs

Not Stated Seats—47 to 53Standees—53Total—100 to 106Low Floor3-5 Doors

Diesel, Diesel-Hybrid, Gasoline-Hybrid

Fuel Economy:Hybrid—5.1 mpgNon-hybrid—3.8 mpg

• Lane Transit (Eugene, OR)• Greater Cleveland RTA (Cleverland, OH)

Van Hool AG2003

Stylized Articulated

60.5-102-13438,720 lbs

Not Stated Seats—45+4Standees—57Total—102+4 4 DoorsLow Floor

ULSD • AC Transit-BRT

Operating Costs—King County Metro Transit (Source: NREL Technical Report, NREL/TP-540-39742, April 2006)

Note: King Country Metro Transit owns diesel-hybrid, and diesel articulated buses (New Flyer models, 2004). The following is the 6-month evaluation result:

Category Diesel RB Hybrid RBFuel Cost per Mile $0.78 $0.61Total Maintenance Cost per Milea $0.46 $0.47Propulsion-only Maintenance Cost per Mile $0.14 $0.14Warranty Parts Cost per Mile $0.06 $0.08TOTAL OPERATING COST* per MILE $1.25 $1.07

*Total operating cost per mile is the sum 1) fuel cost per mile and 2) total maintenance cost per mile—that is, the total operating cost reflects the direct costs only.aTotal maintenance cost/mile = [(labor hours*hourly wage)+parts cost]/mileage

Successful Articulated Fleet Operators

KC Metro Hybrid Transit Bus Service Area Characteristics:

• Total Population—1.957 millions, as of 2012• 2012 Total Ridership (Metro Transit Only)—114.7million boardings• City dynamics

Most populous county in Washington; 13th most populous in the United States164,600 rides daily during weedays81,800 rides on Saturday56,900 rides on Sunday

• CustomersIn 2010, 42% of total downtown employees use transitDowntown Residents—34% walk, 27% drive alone and 26% transit Downtown total (2011): 49.5 million rides

• Trip PurposesMainly commuters (to work), or multi-mode connections

• Experience the increasing in ridershipSystem Characteristics:

• Fleet Size (all buses)—1,300 buses• 18-mile transit backbone• Some exclusive right-of-way• Downtown tunnel through which the articulated buses serve is 1.3 mile long• Average speed (mpg)—8.6 to 13.4• Actual Fuel Economy (during 6-month evaluation period)—2.55 mpg for Diesel model, and

3.21 mpg for Hybrid model• Road calls—more frequently with engine, doors, interlock and cooling problems

Appeals of GM Allison Hybrid (by New Flyer Industries):• Maintenance is less costly then the old Breda articulated model• Low tailpipe and noise emissions• Capable of operating outside the tunnel (in which Breda buses were originally served)

Note: After the shadow services—November 2002 to February 2003, 7 days a week 12pm to 8am—KC Metro Transit decided to fully replace the old Breda models with New Flyer/GM Allison Hybrid buses.

Hybrid articulated buses cost $645,000 each.Diesel ones cost $445,000 each.The expected useful life is 12 years.

Miami-Dade Transit, Kendall Cruiser Route (Route 288)Service Area Characteristics:

• Average Daily Boardings (operating weekdays only)—1000• Average Monthly Boardings—20,000 (or 240,000 annually)

System Characteristics:

• Route 288 is a weekday rush-hour service only.

***MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON***

Approximated Turning Radius(Source: http://nacto.org/docs/usdg/physical_and_perfromance_characteristics_heavy_vehicles.pdf )

Minimum Turning Radius for Selected Transit Vehicles

Design Vehicle Type Symbol Minimum Design Turning

Radius (ft)

Centerline Turning Radius

(ft)

Minimum Inside Radius

(ft)Articulated Bus A-BUS 39.8 35.5 21.3Intercity Bus BUS-40 45 40.8 27.6

Intercity Bus BUS-45 45 40.8 25.5City Transit Bus CITY-BUS 42 36.8 24.5Conventional School Bus (65 pass.) S-BUS-36 38.9 34.9 23.8Large School Bus (84 pass.) S-BUS-40 39.4 35.4 25.4