Metro Retires Last Diesel Bus

There's nice article from Steve Hymon at The Source on Metro's retirement of its last diesel powered bus (article link here). With this milestone, Metro becomes the only major transit agency in the country to have a bus fleet equipped entirely with alternative-fuel technologies. As the LA Times notes, the regional impact on pollution is significant:

In an urban area where diesel buses began operating in 1940, the MTA now has 2,221 buses powered by compressed natural gas, as well as one electric bus and six gasoline-electric hybrids.

Transit officials estimate that the elimination of diesel engines has reduced the release of cancer-causing particulates from the bus fleet by 80% and greenhouse gases by about 300,000 pounds a day in one of the smoggiest areas of the country.

Increasing mass transit ridership is undoubtedly one of the keys to making transportation and land use more sustainable for everyone in the Los Angeles region, but the way in which riders are transported is also important; a cleaner bus fleet is critical for improving for the public and environmental health of the region.