ChicagoBus.org – Covering Chicago’s CTA Bus System

CTA to Make Supervisors Mobile; Enhance Bus Tracker

The CTA today announced a new initiative that will take bus supervisors out of booths and into hybrid vehicles equipped with GPS-enabled phones and computers. The CTA also announced plans to add 15 routes to an enhanced Bus Tracker service later this month.

Starting in August, supervisors will be equipped with GPS-enabled phones that will allow CTA’s control center to track and dispatch supervisors to problem areas. Additionally, wireless computers will allow supervisors to make service adjustments based on real-time information from CTA’s Bus Tracker. In response to delays or bunching, supervisors may make changes such as short turning a bus or having it run express.

CTA officials are hopeful that by making supervisors mobile and equipping them with additional technology, the agency will be able to reduce bus delays and bunching.

On July 21st, the CTA plans to launch improvements to its Bus Tracker Web site. In addition to adding 15 new routes, the real-time location map will be enhanced to use Google’s mapping service. Customers will be able to view the location of buses for up to five routes at a time and access estimated arrival times for any given stop along a route.

The 15 new routes, which will bring the total number of routes on Bus Tracker to 67, mostly originate from Kedzie Garage but also include routes 146 and 147 from North Park Garage. The full list of new routes coming July 21st is as follows:

• #7 Harrison
• #8 Halsted
• #10 Museum of Science & Industry
• #12 Roosevelt
• #17 Westchester
• #18 16th/18th
• #38 Ogden/Taylor
• #52 Kedzie/California
• #125 Water Tower Express
• #126 Jackson
• #129 West Loop/South Loop
• #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express
• #147 Outer Drive Express
• #148 Clarendon/Michigan Express
• #156 LaSalle

CTA Testing Innovative New Hybrid Bus

The CTA will soon begin testing DesignLine’s ECOSaver IV, an innovative hybrid electric bus that boasts nearly double the fuel efficiency of a typical hybrid bus. The bus, which is being loaned to CTA for a period of three weeks, will operate in service on the #8 Halsted route beginning this Thursday.

The ECOSaver IV demonstrator at Halsted and Taylor working route #8 Halsted on June 20, 2008. Photo by Alan Nicholls.

The ECOSaver IV contains no diesel engine and instead uses a small turbine engine to charge batteries that power the bus. The turbine engine operates only when the batteries run low and require recharging. As the turbine engine requires significantly less fuel than a traditional diesel engine, the buses are able to achieve between 7 to 8 miles per gallon. CTA’s current 40-foot hybrid buses average just 3.95 mpg. The newest 1000-series diesel buses average 3.28 mpg.

Fuel efficiencies are also achieved as a result of the weight of the bus, which is up to 6,000 pounds lighter than most buses. This weight savings is attributed to the use of aluminum composite materials rather than traditional stainless steel.

The propulsion technology also allows the bus to operate at significantly quieter levels than traditional diesel buses. With the turbine running, the ECOSaver IV is 70% quieter at the curb and 100% quieter inside the bus.

DesignLine offers the ECOSaver IV in lengths of up to 40-feet, with a maximum seating capacity of 42. The demonstrator being tested by CTA is a 35-foot model.

The CTA says it would need to negotiate creative financing deals to acquire the buses, which cost approximately $580,000 each. CTA’s current 40-foot hybrids cost approximately $570,000 each and a regular diesel bus cost between $350,000 and $375,000 each.

Within the next year, the CTA plans on testing bio-diesel, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cell buses. The CTA previously tested three hydrogen fuel cell buses in 1997.