L.A. now has a considerable fleet of CNG buses and, due to pressures
from the SCAQMD, has plans for more. But this is not without controversy.
There are those who worry about the safety of these buses (possible
explosions or fires, e.g. in a crash). CNG buses are also more expensive
than the new "clean diesels" (somewhere around $325,000 to $350,000 each,
I think), tho costs might go down if more are produced.
According to a member of the L.A. MTA Citizens Advisory Committee,
there are design difficulties in getting artics with
CNG power plants. Much of the problem has to do with tank placement.
Typically the CNG tanks go on the roof. But an artic has two halves
each of which are smaller than a typical 40-foot bus. These halves are
not long enough for a CNG tank. But it is deemed undesireable to run
a CNG line between bus segments. One possibility might be to make the
rear half larger, with the engines in the rear, in "push"
design. But this would mean a new bus design.
I like Howard's idea of ride-based financial incentives for the cable crews.
It seems to me that these lines aren't really part of the city transit system
anymore...more of an outdoor amusement park ride for the tourists.
Maybe it's time to spin off responsibility to some non-profit Cable
Car Historical Association or some such.
Tom Wetzel
+===============================================+
! Tom Wetzel !
! Senior Technical Writer !
! BEA Systems, Inc. !
! 2315 North First Street !
! San Jose, CA 95131 !
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