The number of miles covered by CityBus during the past five years has increased 12%, but fuel use grew only 9%.
The transit service's 25% increase in fuel efficiency is attributed to hybrid technology. Twenty busses in the CityBus fleet are hybrids, at a total cost of $3.8 million. The local share was just $760,000. Government grants paid for the majority of the cost.
While they cost more than standard diesel fuel busses, they also save more money in the long-run. Data from the transit service shows fuel consumption has been basically stable over the past six years.
Managers say savings on fuel since 2006 totals $1.14 million, more than making up the initial local investment. They say the savings will continue, as the hybrids are 25-30% more efficient that the standard diesel busses.