Greener city buses clear the air, but choices aren’t always clear

Clean, low-sulfur diesels that still comprise the bulk of the New York City fleet, he added, and they remain the appropriate vehicle for longer haul or “express” service with fewer stops.

CNG buses were “always viewed by us as a bridge technology, largely because of the huge cost (of $15-$20 million each) to retrofit our depots,” he said.

Back in Dallas, which suffers from congested freeways but where traffic flows are very different than in Manhattan, CNG may or may not be the green bridge to the future. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert thinks it would look better if the city went CNG because the public views it as the cleanest option. “As a city, we have been very conscientious in moving forward and being at the forefront of environmental issues,” Mr. Leppert recently told the Dallas Morning News.

Seaton, Stewart and Chrisman agree that every city is different and must weigh its options based on its unique urban landscape and needs. For Dallas, hybrids may be a luxury, or not. CNG is more local. But diesel is more affordable at least for now while gas prices are down.

The easy green solution? It looks a bit opaque.

“It’s all a matter of how you allocate dollars. You get finite dollars and you try to put them to best use,” Chrisman said. “The good news is even our existing buses take a lot of pollution out of the air compared to all those automobiles.”

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