Sustainability

Previously, the other hybrid buses that were purchased could not climb hills and therefore could not service Windward Oahu. The new additions are able to go uphill, but they are currently assigned to city routes. Two routes that have hybrid buses servicing them is the No. 5 Manoa Valley traveling up Punahou Street (Eastbound & Westbound), and the No. 18 University-Ala Moana which travels along Wilder Street (Eastbound & Westbound).

Roger Morton, president of Oahu Transit Services, says that the hybrids will the city to save about 1,400,000 gallons of fuel per year. Although hybrids are a good move, TheBus is not going to purchase more hybrids until the rural routes have been attended to.

[Travis Dos Santos-Tam] The new buses are most likely manufactured by the company New Flyer, although this is only speculative. However, TheTransit buses that were assigned to the the now defunct E-route and are now assigned to the A-route are most likely New Flyer DE60LF models, as featured in this brouchure (download PDF).

Below is a list of the routes that are serviced or have service by diesel-electric hybrid buses (Route Description):
» No. 5 Manoa Valley (Ala Moana Center, King Street, Punahou School (Punahou Street), Oahu Avenue, Manoa Valley; Route Map)
» No. 6 Pauoa-Woodlawn [Pauoa Valley, Downtown Honolulu (Mauka to Makai), Main Library, Victoria Ward Centre, Ala Moana Center, South King, University of Hawaii, Oahu Avenue, Manoa Valley (Woodlawn Drive)]
» No. 7 Kalihi Valley [Kalihi Valley, Kalihi, Bishop Museum, Kamehameha Shopping Center, Kalihi Valley (Near Likelike Highway)]
» No. 9 Palolo Valley (Pearl Habor, Nimitz Highway, Kamehameha Highway, Dillingham, Downtown Honolulu (Ewa to Waikiki), Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu Convention Center, Waialae Avenue, Palolo Valley)
» No. 17 Makiki (Makiki, Roosevelt High School, Pensacola, Kapiolani Boulevard, Ala Moana Center (Kona Street), Keeaumoku Street, Nehoa Street, Makiki)
» No. 18 University-Ala Moana [Ala Moana Center, Keeaumoku Street, Punahou School (Wilder Avenue), University of Hawaii (Dole Street)]
» No. 31 Tripler-Moanalua (Tripler Hospital, Ala Mahamoe Street, Kalihi Transit Center, Nimitz Highway, Lagoon Drive, Mapunapuna, Moanalua)
» No. 32 Kalihi-Pearlridge (Pearlridge Shopping Center, Kamehameha Highway, Aloha Stadium, Stadium Mall, Salt Lake Shopping Center, Mapunapuna, Kalihi Transit Center)

Read the full article here.